The Accident
by Fire Lady Ursa
Summary: Kai had a little accident. Will he clean it up without anyone knowing? Will he tell anyone? Will Rei find out?
1. Chapter 1

Kai woke up, something was off. Somehow. He shifted positions carefully, and began cursing softly. He could hear Rei shifting positions in his own bed, across the room, Kai held his breath. Finally, Rei settled, and Kai rose to assess the damage done by last nights' apparent accident. The sheet was absolutely soaked, the mattress beneath likely was as well, the comforter had survived, but was clearly damp. And that wasn't even considering his night clothes. The scent was undetectable from where he stood, but Rei's sense of smell was much stronger than his own. _How in the world will I clean this up without waking him up?_ That would be the problem, Kai was sure.

_It has been over a year since I've had an accident like that. I thought I was over it._ Kai thought as he began cleaning, trying to keep quiet enough to avoid awakening the white tiger. _Last night was...a mess_

_Kai and Tyson had argued off and on all day. At dinner, another loud argument had ensued. It had elevated until the pair of them had been about to fight. Rei had finally snapped..."Would you two cut it out!" Rei snarled, forcing himself between his teammates. Once he was sure he had their attention, he stepped back a little, until he could glare at them both, as they turned to face him. "I'm so sick of listening to you two fight all the time. You're supposed to be teammates – friends. It ruins our dynamics – and it's impossible to get anything done recently, with you two acting like this." He paused for a moment, "We have a tournament in two days. We've done almost no training because anytime we try, you two burst into a fresh argument." He paused again as if to collect his thoughts._

_"And it isn't even one of you being impossible," Kenny interjected suddenly into the silence._

_"No, both of you have successfully started fights and the rest of us are tired of it." Rei finished coldly._

_"When you two stop behaving like five years olds, let me know." The neko-jin said coolly as an afterthought before stalking outside._

_"No look what you did!" Tyson accused darkly._

_"That's just it, Tyson, for the most part, it isn't Kai. It's YOU." Max said coolly, shaking his head. "You can be so childish sometimes."_

_"Kai stood silently, watching after Rei. Ignoring Tyson, he'd gone up the stairs and listened to music. Rei had come in a while later. "You want some of this?"_

_Kai turned slightly, "This being...?" He asked cautiously._

_"Tea." Rei responded, laughing warmly._

_"Sure."_

Kai shook his head to clear the memory of the night before, but he couldn't forget the way they had spoken for hours after, before finally going to bed. He'd finished cleaning up the mess. How well it would hold up, there was no telling, but he thought he had done well.

Quietly, Kai went downstairs to avoid further risk of awakening the golden-eyed blader. Once down stairs he noted that he was the only one up – not surprising, really. Kai moved to take a shower and then dressed for the day.

---

Golden eyes flickered open, Rei noted that Kai was already up, in fact, when he concentrated, he could hear water running for a shower. He took a deep breath and wrinkled his nose sharply. Something smell like...no, that couldn't be right. _Urine? _He shook his head a little, and got up. Having showered the night before, Rei simply dressed for the day.

The Chinese blader headed downstairs quickly. He washed his hands and then started to cook breakfast for everyone. About half way through cooking, he heard the water shut off, and just moments later, Kai came out of the hall bathroom wearing only his loose pants. This wasn't a first, but still Rei took a moment to appreciate the view before Kai actually noticed him. He smiled at the Russian blader, and then went back to cooking.

Kai watched carefully, looking for signs that the Chinese blader had noticed anything odd that morning. It didn't seem as if he had. _Did I really get away with it?_ Kai thought, almost startled as he pulled on his shirt.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Cracky fic is cracky. Please don't kill me for it. I hope you enjoy the story. Please do tell me if I kill Kai's personality while I'm working with him – it's not my strong suit. Please R&R. **

"Kai, I have a question," Rei began carefully, his gaze fixed on his cooking. Because of the focus of his gaze, he never saw the way Kai's muscles tightened, or the look that flashed across his perfect features. Rei never saw any of it because he wasn't willing to look up at Kai just yet.

"Hn." Kai managed his usual response – his response to nearly anything. How the Chinese boy interpreted it was out of his hands – just the way he liked it. He settled his expression after a moment, until he was totally calm and expressionless – as usual. His muscles loosened as well, just in case the younger blader decided to look at him.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Rei said, nodding to himself a little. _I don't speak Kai. I really don't. But, I think he would have walked off, if he meant no. Or not given any form of a response. _With that reasoning he decided that he would proceed. "Did you smell something odd in our room this morning?" A completely innocent way of phrasing the question. _He probably didn't. It doesn't really matter. Besides, it probably wasn't what it seemed like to me, either, the way my sense of smell is._

"No, should I have?" A completely calm response. A perfect lie, in reality, considering he knew exactly what Rei had smelled, as well as the question that lingered beneath the spoken one. "I'm going for a walk. When I get back, you had all better be ready for some training." His tone was icy as he turned and walked away, not giving Rei a chance to respond to anything said.

_Strange. He never walks away from me like that. Did I say something wrong last night. No...that couldn't be. He was too calm when he went to bed. A nightmare? Hm. No telling with him, I suppose. And _he'll _never tell. _Rei shook off the thoughts as he finished up making breakfast for the rest of the team.

Flashback:  
"_What's wrong, Kai?" A girl with a warm smile and crimson eyes that matched his own. Blood red triangles adorned her cheeks, in the same pattern that his own blue markings were arranged. _Sara – Kai recalled her name for the first time years later. _She knelt down in front of him at took his tiny hands in her own._

"_I had an accident." The five year old responded, looking at the floor between them. The nine year old girl pressed her lips together, nodding a little._

"_We'll just have to clean up, won't we?" She said gently, rising from her kneeling position and leading him back in to his own room. It was early, enough so that there was a chance she could finish cleaning things up before Voltaire, or one of the servants came to get them._

"_Grandfather will be angry." he said dismally, as they finished._

"_It's not your fault, Kai. I know you don't mean to. I'm going to try and get him to understand that." She said gently, giving him a tired smile._

"_It won't work." He'd responded._

_She had had no response for him, so she'd simply folded her arms around him in a gentle hug and held him for a while._

_Sara was gone now. Voltaire had asked her to walk with him, part way through the training session. It made Kai feel strange – Voltaire never interrupted training sessions to talk. He fidgeted a bit, before his attention was called to return to his practice with Dranzer._

_The very next day, he and Sara had been violently separated, and he had gone to the Abbey._  
End Flashback

Kai shook his head as a memory that, before that moment, he had not been able to truly recall struck him. Sara. The strange silver haired girl was Sara, and with the same certainty, he knew that she was tied to him some how. He wondered for a moment what else he had suppressed. Then, he wondered what had happened to the silver haired girl.

Kai kept walking, he would give his team an hour before he returned. Until then, he would calm himself, and work through the night before. Maybe, he could avoid having another accident. _Rei didn't actually find out. He smelled something, he asked a question. As long as it doesn't remain consistent, he'll probably forget about it._

"Where's Kai?" Tyson asked the Chinese blader as the older teen finished laying out breakfast.

Rei blinked at him for a moment, shaking his head a little. "Why do ask? When Kai disappears, you think he tells me where he goes? All I know is that when he gets back, we're training." Rei said before taking his seat next to the empty one on the end, across from Kenny. No one sat across from the empty seat that was Kai's.

"Rei's got a point, Tyson." Max said.

**A/N: For those of you who are keeping up with my other beyblade fiction, "Why" you have heard the name Sara before. Yes. This is the same Sara. I will eventually probably write a fiction centering from her point of view. Until then, have fun piecing bits of information from different stories.**

**Also, I wanted to note, that for the purpose of this story the blade breakers age order is as follows: Kai, Rei, Tyson, Max, Kenny. Kai being the oldest and Kenny being the youngest.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hope you all like this next chapter. It's pretty calm. Mostly setting up for explosions later. Also, if anyone seems OOC currently, let me know, I would love to improve my characterizations. Please R&R.**

Kai walked into the living room and was actually surprised – it was empty. _Unusual _Kai thought, but he proceeded into the dining room – which was also empty. _Now, there's something odd..._ Kai went out, in to the backyard. Rei and Tyson were beybattling, expressions of intense concentration on their faces.

"Did they...?" Kai began slowly, looking at Kenny.

"No. It's just a training match. Rei figured it wouldn't hurt to get warmed up a little – and he worded the challenge just right, so Tyson agreed." Kenny responded, glancing over at Kai before allowing his gaze to return to the beybattle.

With that assurance, Kai turned his attention to the match, and studied his teammates carefully. If it wasn't serious, he was going to let the match play out, and see how they stood in relation to each other. He concentrated, ignoring the other's for a few moments. _Just until this is over, I'll enjoy watching. Besides, they need this. Nothing beats real matches for getting experience. Even in a clearly defined training session, they'll learn from each other._

"You're going down!" Rei hissed, a tiny smile playing on his lips. "DRIGER! Tiger Claw attack!"

Tyson smirked, "DRAGOON NOW!" The blades crashed together, sparks flew, but they were both still spinning and in the dish. The blades continued to strike and spark, it wasn't clear who would come out on top.

"Driger, finish HIM!" The tiger bit leaped at Rei's command, launching itself violently at the dragon. More sparks flew, and then so did Tyson's blade. The blue haired teen caught it in midair, and looked up at Rei.

"Nice one, I didn't expect that." Tyson said, inclining his head slightly.

"You too, you were doing really good." Rei said, flashing a real smile at Tyson before turning his head and seeing Kai.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here yet. You should have said something – you didn't have to let us -"

"It was worth it." Kai said, cutting Rei off. "You two were having a serious match. Besides, a beybattle is training."

Rei nodded, "Alright, so what are we up to?"

And training began for real. They spent most of the day working hard to perfect their technique for the matches tomorrow.

"So, are we all supposed to blade?" Rei asked, looking over at Kai.

"Hn?" The atypical sound was turned almost questioning, so that even Tyson would have been able to read it.

"Tomorrow, in our tournament thing. Are we all supposed to blade?"

"Yeah, each of us will match up with one of the Blitzkrieg Boys," Kai said evenly, picking up the flow as if he hadn't broken it with a question.

"Who's blading who?" Tyson asked.

"You're blading Spencer, Max is going for Ian, Rei -"

"I want to blade Bryan again." Rei's voice cut in to Kai's sentence, earning him a glare from the Russian, and several startled looks from his teammates.

"You sure?" Kai asked, studying the nekojin's face for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright, I'm blading Tala, and Rei's blading Bryan." Simple as that, Kai had sorted it all out. His tone was final, no one would argue with it except -

"Rei are you insane! Kai you're just going to let him-" Tyson glared as he was cut off.

_Ha. Right on time. _Kai thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Rei's a big boy. He can decide if he wants to play Bryan again." Kai said, keeping his tone completely even. _Now, whether I like it or not is another thing. However, if I argue with him it might be a little too bloody obvious I dislike the idea. And I'm not supposed to care, remember?_

"I do." Rei's tone had an air of finality to it. "Now, I'm gonna go get dinner ready."

"_Kai! Kai! Hold On!" The girl with silver hair screamed, jerking forward, reaching out towards him. He watched as some of the servants took a hold of her, refusing to let her move forward._

"_It's time for Kai to go to the Abbey." Boris' cold voice stated, grabbing him by the arm._

"_Sara!" Terror was the only thing that could be heard in the name. He struggled against the hands that held him, trying to grab the girl's out stretched hand. They were so close – only centimeters stopped their hands from touching._

"_I'm so sorry, Kai. I am so sorry I couldn't protect you. I promise, I'll come for you." Tears had welled up in the girl's crimson eyes as they were pulled further apart, and she was wrestled to the ground, to make keeping her away from him easier. "I love you, Kai." She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear._

"_NO! Sara, Don't-" His voice was cut off as a door slammed shut._

Kai lurched up into a sitting position from a dead sleep, panting heavily. He pushed a piece of slate gray hair out of his face, trying to calm his breathing as he listened to Rei stirring on the other bed.

"Kai, is everything-" Rei sounded concerned, if only half awake.

"Go back to bed." Kai's voice was cutting and harsh.

Rei peered through the darkness, looking towards his team captain for a long moment before laying back down and after a little while, drifted back off.

Kai lay back down as well, but unlike Rei, he found it hard to get back to sleep. It wasn't until almost three that he managed to drift back off. When he finally did drift back off, he slept heavily, and dreamlessly. Deeply, without a hope of awakening before dawn.


	4. Chapter 4

Rei's eyes came open, and a tiny smile tugged at his lips. Kai was sleeping peacefully on his side, facing Rei. The smile faded a little as the memory of the night before over came him. Rei sat up slowly, gaze still focused on his captain. _I should wake him, if it weren't for the tournament – there's that scent again. _Rei's thoughts interrupted themselves as the strange urine scent assaulted him.

As Rei got up and moved over to Kai's bed, he noticed the scent strengthening steadily. _No, that can't be right, _he thought, wrinkling his nose very slightly. Reaching down, Rei shook Kai gently, bringing the older teen immediately into wakefulness.

------------------

Kai awoke with an all-too-familiar sensation. _Damn. _Then he recalled that he had been awakened by contact – and his attention snapped upward to meet with golden eyes and a concerned expression. _Damn again. _Kai's expression turned defensive, angry even. "You got a problem, Kon?" he hissed. Kai found himself settling back into a familiar role. In a way, he started to feel bad for being so rough handed towards Rei, but he had no choice, at the moment.

Rei was a little taken aback at Kai's tone. Kai never took that down with him, and he was sure that his expression reflected that fact. "I – I was worried about you. And I thought you would-"

"You were wrong." Kai said coldly, continuing with the role he had chosen. "I'm awake." He added icily to head off the second comment about wanting to make sure he was up early for the match.

"I just-"

"I don't want to talk about it. I don't need your help." Cold. Cruel. Typical Kai, but not something Rei had experience with. Kai _did_ feel bad about it, now. He knew that every word cut deeply, and he tried not to care. With anyone else, he wouldn't have cared. But this was Rei, who was calm and tolerated his silence most of the time. Who only asked questions when he was truly worried about his safety or wellbeing. In light of knowing that, it made everything that much worse.

Kai noticed one of Rei's hands curl into a fist as the nekojin properly straightened himself up, his golden eyes gone cold. "Fine." Kai read the tone as icy – strange, coming from Rei. He then watched as the nekojin turned sharply on his heel and walked out, closing the door almost silently behind him, as if he'd never been there.

Kai cleaned up the mess and showered quickly, all the while reflecting on the pseudo argument that they had had. _I'm not going to apologize. If he's angry about last night, that's his problem._ Kai decided coolly, before he walked down stairs. Once there, he looked around, blinking. "Wha-" He said aloud, startled to find himself alone, even when he walked directly into the kitchen. There was a note on the counter.

_Guys,_

_I'll meet you at the bey stadium, in time for the match. I needed to go for a walk and clear my head. Cereal is on the counter, milk is in the refrigerator, and please remember to put the milk away after breakfast. I'll see you all later._

_-Rei._

Kai's first response was annoyance. Instead of facing him, and the others he left a note. Then, admittedly, he was amused by Rei's stressing of putting the milk away. Last time had been a disaster, as he recalled. Lastly, but perhaps most strongly, he wondered if their 'argument' had caused the sudden need to get out of the house. _Probably, _Kai thought.

The teen moved back upstairs to awaken his teammates, bringing them all down stairs to eat and wake up before the match.

"Where's Rei?" Max said suddenly, looking around the kitchen, surprised that it was empty.

"He went for a walk." Kai said icily, his voice still hard from earlier that morning.

"Did you two fight?" Tyson asked.

"Hn." Kai responded, walking outside for some last minute training and such before it was time to get his team moving.

---------------------------

The Chinese blader kicked a rock along the sidewalk as he wandered, keeping an eye on his location. Every once in a while he'd glance at his phone, to check the time and make sure he wasn't cutting it close. His expression was intense but for the most part inward turned as he considered that morning. _What did I do wrong? I mean, I know he's sharp about anything personal, but I hadn't said anything. It's not like I plan on telling anyone. There was no excuse for the way he reacted. Reflexive or not. I've never given him a reason to treat me that way. I wasn't even going to bring up last night._

The neko continued to kick the rock as he progressed along the road, curving his path towards the stadium, even though he would arrive at least half an hour early, if he went now. There were only a few people on the street this early, and most of them were careful to keep a careful distance from the clearly angry part-human.

Rei had changed rapidly into something that had been down stairs – one of his outfits that had just been washed. He'd not really put a brush to his hair, but the way it was tied, it looked decent, not as immaculate as usual, but considering the circumstances, it would due well enough. _This was NOT my fault. I refuse to apologize. He started this. I've never given him any reason to believe I would tell, or tease. I don't care how much he hates people knowing about personal things – issues and not – he was out of line._ With that decision Rei checked himself in to the stadium, much to the shock of the attendants who noted his presence. He didn't give them a chance to ask their questions as he walked in to the main stadium.

Today's match was closed and invitational only. Cruel for the fans, maybe. However, it was for the best, when it came to the match itself. The White Tigers were due, as were the Saint Shields, the Majestics had been invited, but only Robert and Oliver were coming to actually watch. The match itself was supposed to be more relaxed, a training challenge, more than a true 'tournament'.

Rei seated himself on the bench, folding his legs up Indian style and closing his eyes in concentration. He would meditate until the others got there, and he would ignore Kai unless the other male deliberately addressed him.

-----------------

"It's time to go." Kai said evenly, standing in the doorway facing his team.

"What about Rei?" Kenny asked.

"He's supposed to be meeting us there." His voice was deadly calm.

"Oh." Kenny said softly. They rose and followed Kai.

----------------

The audience began to assemble. The Tigers were among the first to arrive. Mariah went to talk to Rei, but he brushed her off, and told her it didn't matter, and he just needed to calm down. She'd stared for a while, but had gone back to sit with Lee. He'd never even opened his eyes to look at her.

Rei opened his eyes to study the groups coming in and how they settled.

The Saint Shields settled to the left of the Tigers, clustering together as a team, carefully separating themselves from the other team. Oliver and Robert were the last to arrive, they settled together, but separate from the two teams as well.

After a moment, he turned his attention to the opposite entrance in time to see the Blitzkrieg Boys coming in as a group. Tala walked at the lead, with Spencer and Ian, Bryan followed a little behind, Rei noted. He looked away as the other team began to notice him sitting alone.

A moment later the rest of the Blade Breakers entered from the door nearest Rei. He glanced quickly to the right, to indicate that he was aware of their presence, before focusing forward again. Everyone's attention seemed to lock on that quick second where Rei and Kai's gazes had met.

Mr. Dickinson came in a moment later, the last one needed for the match.

"What is your problem?" Kai asked, taking a seat on the bench.

"I don't know what problem your talking about." Rei's voice was clipped.

"That problem. If this is about last night-"

"It's not. And, I don't think we should discuss this now. The match is about to start." Tight, even, calm, amazingly so, all things considered.

"Max, Ian if you will approach the stadium." Mr. Dickinson said, as if Rei's words had heralded the speech. The pair approached, standing across from each other. At the command, they released their blades, and the battle began. They were well matched, but Ian won out before too long. They withdrew to allow Tyson and Spencer to begin their match.

It seemed that Spencer had won only moments after the launch, and the odds did not improve as the match continued. Tyson found himself at an abrupt loss at the end of the match. Rei and Bryan were next.

The way Rei held himself as he approached the bey dish indicated that his temper was still up, and that this wasn't going to be a laid back match. His stance was aggressive, and his expression was focused. Bryan had one lavender eyebrow arched slightly as he took in Rei, before his expression settled, and he took his place.

The match began intensely, with sparks almost literally flying. Rei went on the offensive early, not having the patience to try and wear Bryan down.

"That's not like him." Dizzy said as Kenny set her to analyzing the match.

"No kidding," Max said, watching Rei battle. "Even yesterday, against Tyson he wasn't like that. I wonder what his problem is."

"Angry, are we?" Bryan said, even toned. "It doesn't become you. Nor your style."

Rei ignored his words, and continued to focus on defeating the blade that he battled against. Bryan unleashed his bit, and a cut appeared along his cheek, a moment later, both blades flew.

"A draw." Mr. Dickinson said, as Rei leaned down to pick up Driger, not looking back before he took his seat.

Kai approached the dish without a word, and without waiting to be asked. He gazed across the intervening distance at Tala who joined him moments later. "Let's do this." Tala smirked, and the battle began. It elevated quickly, with both captains giving it their all. Kai threw Tala's blade out of the stadium after just a moment of swirling around it, and almost perfect timing.

"You and Rei fought." Tala said calmly, looking across the dish.

"That's none of your concern." He said coolly as he looked at Mr. Dickinson.

"Match to Kai." He said simply.

"Good battle." Tala said evenly as Kai walked away.

"Rei, you and Kai need to kiss and make up." Tyson said loudly, as Kai drew near to the team.

**A/N: I hope you liked the new chapter. And...I'm trying to decide if Rei was OOC. I can't decide. :( I think I hit temperamental Kai pretty well, but I'm curious of everyone else's ideas on it too. Reviews are Love.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Tyson!" Three voices exclaimed in the same breath. Two of the voices sounded angry, one sounded horrified. Max, Rei and Kai all at once. Crimson and golden eyes flashed for the same reason, each without noting the other.

"You don't even know what you're talking about. Butt Out." Kai snapped, glowering at the other teen.

"Seriously Tyson. Keep your mouth shut." Rei hissed, glaring at Tyson viciously.

"Tyson, can I talk to you, over there?" Max asked quietly, motioning for the other to follow him away from their teammates.

Once they were well out of earshot, the blond turned to face Tyson fully. "You, um, might be a bit dense but I thought you knew..."

"Knew what?"

"Rei's … yeah what you said was seriously out of line." Max said, shaking his head.

"Why was it out of line, I didn't mean literally."

"Look, if you don't know, I can't help you – it isn't my place. I just...please don't say things like that." Max sounded exasperated as he walked back over to where the other three members of the team stood in silence.

"What happened to you two?" Kenny asked, sounding frustrated.

"It's none of your concern." Rei said quietly, "What happened last night is between Kai and me."

"Did you tell him?" Max asked, sounding a little concerned.

"No Max. It isn't that."

"Tell me what?" Kai asked, looking at Max rather than Rei.

Max raised his hands slightly, "It's not mine to tell."

Kai looked at Rei fixatedly, with an emotionless expression.

"It's not important, Kai." Calm, clear – not angry per se, but not happy, either. "I'm gonna head back so I can get lunch ready." He didn't look over to see Kai's expression, nor did he wait for confirmation that he was allowed.

"What did you two fight about?" Max asked looking at Kai.

Kai raised an eyebrow as if to say "would I really tell you?" and then began to walk off.

-----------

Things were tense well in to the evening, and Rei went up the to the room he shared with Kai early. He knew there he wouldn't be asleep by the time Kai came up, but he couldn't handle the looks from his teammates any more. Between Max who was fully aware of his feelings and Tyson who was so oblivious it was almost pathetic. Rei laid back on the bed staring at the ceiling. He rolled over on his side, so he faced the wall.

Sometime later, he heard Kai enter, and he turned his head a bit to see the Russian walk passed the bed without even glancing over. _Probably thinks I'm asleep, _Rei thought before he turned over to face Kai fully. The other boy was already laying down facing the other way, with the blanket pulled up over him. "Good night, Kai." He said softly in Russian before rolling back over. "You want this light off?" He added.

"Hn."

Rei rolled his eyes and reached over to turn his light off. The room was suddenly dark, and Rei closed his eyes.

--------------

Kai went down stairs quietly the next morning to find Rei in the kitchen as usual, as if yesterday hadn't happened at all. It was strange. But then, Rei hadn't noticed him yet, either.

"Good morning, Kai." Rei said, glancing up from his work, then refocusing.

"About yesterday ..." Kai began.

"Don't worry about it. I know how you are about personal things." Rei said tightly, turning to pull something out of the refrigerator.

"You make apologizing difficult, you know that?"

"Apologizing?"

"I am willing to admit when I'm in the wrong, sometimes you know. Just don't tell Tyson. Ever." Kai said, in a tone that almost hinted at humor.

"And you have a sense humor? If I told Ty, he'd have a heart attack, you know."

"Probably."

There was silence for several moments, but it was peaceful, rather than tense and icy. In short, it was back to normal.

"I'm not going to tell, you know."

"I know, I just...I've spent so long getting defensive over it,"

"I understand."

"I had a question," Kai began slowly.

"Oh? Something Captain-Knows-All didn't quite understand?" Rei said, his voice a little teasing.

"It's about what Tyson said yesterday, at the end of the match."

"Oh. Well, go ahead and ask, I'll see what I can do." _Here we go again._

"Why did you get so upset over it?"

"I … It's kind of complicated."

"I think I can keep up, Rei."

"I took it sort of literally, though I'm sure he didn't mean it that way."

"Why'd you take it that way, then?"

"Because...."

"Because?" Kai prompted gently.

"I'm gay." He used the Russian word that translated most nearly to 'gay', however, in actual usage it was very derogatory and crude.

"Don't use that word. You aren't tainted." Kai said, wrinkling his nose at the language spoken by the Tiger. "There is nothing wrong with being attracted to your own gender. I _thought _you were Chinese?"

Rei rolled his eyes, "Firstly, while I grew up in China, I've had a lot of experience in other countries. Secondly, contrary to apparent belief, it's not only fairly uncommon, it isn't all that accepted. It isn't openly scorned, for the most part … but you've got to be quiet about it."

"What I want to know, is how Max figured it out, but I didn't."

"Don't feel bad. No one knew. I told Max, because I was talking to him about something. And it was important to the discussion."

"Ah."

"Should I go get the others, or are we letting them sleep a little?"

Kai shrugged a bit. Rei rolled his eyes. "Fine. If you want them up, you go get them." He said as he made plates for himself and Kai.


	6. Chapter 6

Rei and Kai sat alone at the table eating breakfast and enjoying each other's company. They spoke a little, but the silence, when it did spread between them, was friendly enough, rather than strained, it was nice.

"So I...have two questions, actually..." Rei said after a moment, looking up at his captain.

"I'm listening," The other teen said cautiously.

"First, why did _you _get so angry when Tyson said what he said, and second why do you care, what I think about myself?" Rei asked, his tone was a little hesitant.

"You shouldn't down on yourself. There's really no point in it, and it just makes you feel bad. You won't get anywhere, and you'll feel bad about yourself. Particularly about something you really can't control." Kai said calmly, meeting Rei's golden gaze calmly.

Rei flushed a little, looking away from Kai. "As for why I was upset about what Tyson said," Kai began slowly, "I think you know."

"You are so..."

"Think about it. Why were you angry? Why would I have been? You're smart enough to put it together, kitten."

That made Rei stop and look back up at Kai. He was quite for several moments as he gathered his thoughts. "You're...like me?"

"Told you were smart enough to figure it out." Kai said, with a rare smile.

Rei flashed a quick smile back at him, then looked away. "Poor Tyson, he had no idea what he was setting himself up for, when he said it."

"I almost feel sorry for him, except, he deserved it." Kai said evenly.

"Maybe he did."

"Maybe he did, what?" Max's confused voice came from the doorway.

"Tyson, yesterday. Kai and I were talking about how he probably deserved to get yelled at, after what he said at the stadium." Rei said, looking over at the blonde.

"So you two are talking again?" Max said, smiling.

"Yeah." Kai's response, calm even.

"Breakfasts on the stove, if you're hungry." Rei said.

Max nodded and went to get himself a plate.

---------

Rei's phone rang. He blinked once or twice before answering it. "Hey Sara – what's up?"

"You are? That's awesome! I've missed you."

"I think you'd like my teammates, too. I know they'd like you."

"Hm. I know where that is."

"Meet you there in an hour?"

"Cool."

"See you then,"

Rei hung up the phone, and a huge grin remained on his face.

"Friend of yours?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen her in forever. I think you'll really like her."

"Anything you want to give a heads up about?"

"Red paint, on her face. Be expecting it – she's not always wearing her marks, but...I wouldn't want you to be shocked by them. Um. She's a little...odd sometimes. Guys..." He paused looking away from Kai and looking at the others. "Um. Kai limitations."

Tyson blinked. Max looked up. "No questions?"

"Exactly. Don't ask."

"I think we can manage that." Kenny said.

"As long as Tyson shuts up." Kai pointed out.

"Is she a blader?" Tyson asked, sounding excited.

"Yeah, she's good too."

"She got a bitbeast?" Dizzy asked.

"Yes. It's a phoenix, like Kai's only...not. It's name is Celenia."

"Spirit?" Kai said slowly.

Rei nodded. "Sara said that it was technically Celen-Dranzer, but then she said that she preferred just Celenia."

_Spirit Phoenix? That's so..._ Kai froze, then shook his head. "You have strange friends, Rei."

"You're one to talk." He said teasingly.

"So, are you bringing her here?" Max asked.

"Most likely. Unless we have objections."

"No, no reason not to. It'll be an interesting meeting."

----------

"How've you been, Rei?" Sara asked as she hugged the Chinese boy close.

"I've been good, you?"

"Alright, no real problems. You been training?"

"Of course I have."

"I'm glad to hear it." She smiled at him.

"What brings you into town?" Rei asked suddenly.

"Just...traveling a little. Mr. Dickinson suggested that I come and see your progress. And besides, I wanted to meet your friends."

"Ah, that's what this is about." Rei said, teasing, until he noted a sad look in Sara's eyes.

"I admit, it's a little...selfish."

"Don't worry about it, I don't mind, I was just kidding, Sara."

"I know." She said, smiling at him gently.

"I have a question for you … I um...I know you don't like personal questions, but with all the languages I know you speak, and...you're resemblance to someone I know, I have to ask...where _are _you from?"

Sara laughed softly. "Russia. I'll give you that answer, but I won't where."

"Fair enough." _Russia. Same as Kai. How...strange._

"Well, lets go." He said, after a moment, motioning gently. She smiled a little and followed.

--------

"That was Sara's bit beast. I know it was...." Kai whispered to himself, shaking his head a little.

"_Will you show me, again Sara?"_

_The older girl had nodded, smiling at him before turning back to the dish. "Watch." She said simply as she launched her blade. It struck the point spot on, and then began to swirl around the dish. After several moments the sliver phoenix rose from the spinning top. "Celenia!" Called the girl, and the phoenix alighted, raising and spiraling above._

"_Pretty." Kai whispered, watching._

"_Your Dranzer's prettier. I know you like the reds, better."_

"_Yeah but..."_

"_Dranzer will get stronger, as you do. That's why you train, Kai."_

_The boy nodded abruptly. And the girl had smiled down at him. "Now you try." She said as she called her blade back._

Kai shook his head back and forth, clearing the images. "It isn't the same girl. I don't know how the bit passed, but it isn't the same. It can't be." He said, his voice determined as he stood up and walked back inside.

---------

"This is it." Rei said quietly, leading her beneath the gate and to the door. He opened it with one hand, and motioned for her to proceed before him.

"Guys," He called out, and moments later they were all gathered. "This is Sara."


	7. Chapter 7

Kai leaned back against the wall, arms folded across his chest. He watched critically as the girl half bowed before properly entering the room alongside Rei.

"Why'd you do that?" Tyson asked loudly.

Sara blinked for a moment at the boy who spoke abruptly. "Respect." She said slowly, "This place has the look, and feel, of a training place, a Dojo of the ancient arts. I respect that. Never mind that this is someone's personal home that I am invading." Her words were calm and collected as she addressed him. "And I have to admit – somewhat shamefully," She said looked over at Rei. "But, I was unable to follow your progress after we spoke, So I...." Her words were soft, meant only for the nekojin's ears.

"I'll introduce you to everyone, don't worry about it." Rei responded, almost laughing at the distress in Sara's voice. In a louder voice he spoke again, "So, the rude one who asks too many questions is Tyson, the blonde who can't stand still is Max, the brown haired one with glasses and the lap top is Chief, but you can call him Kenny and..." He paused a moment, looking around for Kai, "Ah, the quiet one who's leaning against the wall is Kai."

"So teasing, Rei," Sara said, bemusedly as she fixated names to faces, her attention focused on the back of the Dojo where Kai leaned, looking bored, not actually looking at her. _Kai, _Rei's voice reverberated through her mind again and again bringing with it strange flashes of a little boy from another time, with the same blue markings on his cheeks, and the same crimson eyes. A shiver ran through her as he looked up, then towards Rei.

"So, your friend's a blader-" He looked at her then back at Rei. _Disturbing...she looks just like..._

_Flashback_

"_Sara?"_

"_Yes, Kai?"_

_The boy was quiet as he climbed up in the chair with her, curling up in her lap. "I love you." He said softly._

"_I love you too, Kai." She said just as quietly._

"_Are you going to leave me?" He asked, not looking at her._

"_Where did you get that idea?" She sounded horrified._

"_Grandpa."_

"_He was...He didn't mean it. I'll never leave you, Kai..."_

_End Flashback_

Kai shook his head. "If you all are done goofing off, we have training." He said coolly, walking out, whatever he had been about to say before the brief memory long forgotten.

"What's his problem?" Tyson questioned loudly.

Rei pressed his lips together slightly as Kenny and Max trailed after the blader. A moment laster, Tyson followed still complaining under his breath. "Sara, you alright?" Rei asked, sounding a little concerned.

"Yeah, Rei." She lied, smiling at him. "Let's go, I'll watch a bit, and maybe I'll match up."

"That would be great!" Rei said, heading towards the door his friends had exited from with Dara following close behind.

When they got outside, Tyson and Max were already going at it. Sara approached slowly, watching the blades spin. It appeared that her attention was wholly focused on the match, but occasionally, she would glance over at Kai or Rei (usually Kai) before returning to the match.

"I want a shot at the winner." Dara said after a few moments of watching the blades.

"You betcha'" Tyson said, sounding excited.

Sara rolled her eyes, "So cocky," She murmured to herself.

Rei's attention flicked from Kai, to Sara, to the match and back again repeatedly, as he found he couldn't focus on one object for any length of time. _Sara seems almost as distracted as me_ he noted as he watched her expression for a moment. _I hope Tyson wins, I think he could learn from humility from a match with Sara. Hm...she'd probably enjoy blading Max more though....._

"That was a cool move, Tyson." Max said, still grinning.

"Good match, Maxie." Tyson said, laughing. "You still want to battle?"

Sara smiled thinly, "Of course." She said, approaching the bey dish, where Max had just left.

"Tyson, don't underestimate her," Kai said evenly, taking her place beside Rei to get a better look at the match.

"Is Mr. Sourpuss worried?"

Kai rolled his eyes, but gave no verbal response just then.

"Hotshot, over here please." Sara said calmly. "I want to blade,"

"Alright, alright geesh. Everyone's so impatient."

"That's because you're wasting time. Are you ready?"

"Yeah!"

"LET IT RIP!" They called out as one, launching their blades directly at one another. And the battle began.

"Kai, are you okay, since Sara came you're...even quieter than usual." _And that's saying something. _

"I'm fine, Rei. Just...I've got a lot on my mind."

"I understand." Rei went silent, returning his attention to the battle to allow Kai to continue as he was. Later, he would ask more, later he would try and see what was really bothering Kai, but he had no hope of doing so just now.

Sara smiled suddenly, "Celenia, NOW!" She yelled, and the silver phoenix appeared, lashing out at the dragon with a suddenly renewed ferocity, Dragoon's blade was knocked from the stadium a moment later.

"How did you...?"

"You left your blade open for that, when you went all offensive. You were still a little off balance from striking Celenia at a bad angle, because you didn't withdraw to recover, I took advantage of it." She explained, shrugging slightly. "If you'd pulled back, I'd have given you a minute."

"You were overconfident." Kai said, rolling his eyes. "Just like I warned you not to be."

**(A/N: Right So, first I would like to say that Sara isn't wearing her paint. I forgot to incorporate it into last chapter, and I'm not sure how to do so now, so yeah. And I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. The feedback really helps. Please R&R.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews so far. It means a lot to me.**

**And my disclaimer because...yeah I've never actually put one on a story here**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. I take absolutely no credit for the amazing show that is Beyblade, nor the characters found within the show. Please, don't sue me.**

"Why do you keep looking over at Kai like that?" Rei asked finally, looking over at Sara, who was stretched out in the grass beside him.

"It's sort of complicated, Rei." She said quietly, smiling at him gently in an effort to convince him that she was fine despite it.

"Tell me, please?"

"No, I don't think that I will. Not right now. It's...something I need to work through a little, first. Don't worry about it, Rei. Nothing is wrong, nothing is dangerous. I promise."

"I know, I just...I'm curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat." Sara said, her voice grim.

"I know when to back off."

"Then please do. I will tell you, but not now."

"Alright, alright." He said finally, realizing that she wasn't going to let him get any further at that point, and sensing that she was getting agitated despite the calm tone of her voice.

"Anyway, it sounds like you've been quite busy, since I got you in touch with Mr. Dickinson."

"I have been. After a few tournaments, I went to Japan, where I competed again. Our team was put together from the finalists."

"That's really cool, Rei." She said, giving him a warm smile that was nothing like the first one. Her attention strayed again for a moment to the boy who sat leaning against one of the trees, eyes closed and headphones in, seemingly oblivious to the world. The dark blue paint caught her and held her for a moment before she managed to look back at Rei.

Rei shook his head a little at her, rolling his eyes. "You seem obsessed by him, you know."

"In a way, I guess I am. But..." She shook her head, "you really don't want to let the topic drop, do you?" She asked, allowing a hint of annoyance show through her tone. "I'll explain when I'm ready." Sara looked deliberately away from both Rei and Kai for a long time. When she finally looked back at Rei, she was certain that she had made her point.

The pair continued speaking in low tones for a long time. For the most part, they were catching up on the details of what had happened to each other in the time that had past. Rei was careful to avoid the subject of Kai for the afternoon.

--------------

Kai tried to ignore the sensation that he got whenever Sara looked at him. He wasn't fond of that feeling under most circumstances but today it was worse, with her it was worse. Something about her caused shivers to run down his spine and memories to burst forth from behind the wall he had erected in an effort to shield himself from a truth he didn't want to admit. The memory flashes were getting on his nerves, and he was afraid that sooner or later one was going to cut in and distract him while one of his teammates was paying enough attention to notice.

Thus the headphones. And the eyes closed. Even if he couldn't ignore her, or forget her, he could set up a buffer against the risk of being caught. It would be almost impossible to tell if he was completely spacing – especially since he did so to his music on a semi-regular basis. Kai sighed softly as he tried to focus on the music invading his mind.

_A smile. Crimson eyes glistening with tears that would remain unshed, as far as young Kai knew. A warm, comforting pair of arms wrapped around him in a protective manner – like a mother's. He couldn't remember his mother, or even her name. There was only Sara and Voltaire, and sometimes Bryan and Tala. Never anyone else, certainly not the his parents._

_But he never asked why. Mostly because, neither Bryan or Tala had parents, either. He didn't understand it really. And Sara had never made an effort to explain it to him. She just held him soothingly and told him that everything would be alright. That she would always be there for him._

Kai shook his head sharply, breaking out of the memory sequence with a little work. _So maybe this isn't working so well..._ Kai thought, getting frustrated with himself.

_What is it about her? She _can't _be the same person, can she? How would _that _Sara have met Rei, anyway? And wouldn't she have said something to me? I don't think she has actually addressed me all afternoon. She just keeps looking at me. Rei said something about paint..._ Kai allowed his thoughts to trail off finally.

--------------

"I think I'm going to go back to my hotel for the evening. I might come back by tomorrow, Rei." Sara said finally, just after Rei made a comment about needing to start dinner soon.

"Aww." He allowed it to escape him softly, "Alright, I understand. I hope I do see you tomorrow," Rei said. Sara smiled at him and gave him a tight hug before casting one final glance at Kai and turning to leave.

Once Sara had gone through the gate to the street, Rei went into the dojo to start dinner for the team. When it was ready he let Tyson, Max, and Kenny have at it before walking outside to find Kai still sitting in the same place, with his eyes closed listening to music. _Did he fall asleep or something? _Rei wondered as he approached his captain.

Rei laid a hand on his shoulder quietly. Kai's muscles tightened, and his crimson eyes snapped open as his head jerk up to look at him.

"I think it's going to rain soon," Rei said quietly, "and dinner is ready, if you want some."

"Always playing mother." Kai said in a strange tone, it was hard to tell if he was teasing, or being rude.

Rei shrugged. "I don't mind it, I like making sure everyone's taken care of."

"Hmph."

"Please come inside? Even if you don't want to eat,"

"I'll think about it." Kai said coolly.

Rei gave up at that, turning around and walking taking a few steps forward. "Please, Kai?" He said then, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the Russian.

Kai rolled his eyes and stalked passed Rei entering the Dojo and immediately heading up the stairs, completely disregarding his team gathered in the dining room. Rei followed silently behind, but instead of going upstairs he got himself dinner and settled down with the others.


	9. Chapter 9

**[A/N: I truly apologize for the sudden hiatus on my writing. I had a bout of RL issues, and then suffered from some major writers' block on the topic of my stories. I am working to make several updates as soon as is possible for me. **

**At this point, I am also giving up on updating them in a particular order, or updating one and then the other. I'll update as I get ideas for the next chapter, I apologize to those of you who are used to my alternating of story updates.]**

Kai awoke in the middle of the night, shaking from the force of a nightmare. He struggled to regain control of his breathing as the images continued to flash before his eyes. He could feel Rei's gaze upon him without even opening his eyes.

"Kai?" Rei's voice was cautious, as if he expected Kai to respond adversely to his words.

"Yes?" Kai responded, struggling (and failing) to keep the terror left over from the nightmare out of his voice.

"Are you alright?"

Kai rolled over and opened his eyes, peering towards Rei in the dark. _He sounds like he cares...I don't..._

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No."

Rei blinked at the unexpected response to his question. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm not sure."

Rei bit his lip for a moment before getting up from his bed and approaching Kai's slowly. "I'm here, if you do want to talk. I...They won't hurt you any more, Kai."

Kai judged Rei's location by his voice, and the way it changed as he moved across the room. He reached out hesitantly and grasped at the slender wrist. He felt Rei freeze as the initial contact occurred. "Stay." Impulsive and almost demanding.

"I wasn't leaving, Kai." Rei's voice was warm but questioning. "Did you want me to..."

He was cut of by Kai's affirmative.

Wordlessly Rei laid down, settling carefully behind Kai and draping the arm that Kai had grabbed across the other boy. Kai shifted backward a little, relaxing against the Tiger.

"Please talk to me, Kai."

"It's about the day I was taken to the Abbey." Kai's voice was strange, blank almost.

"I'm listening."

"I could never remember, before. But now...I'm almost certain that it's not just a nightmare, but...a memory. One that I had...I'd tried to forget, I think." There was a long pause. "I'd rather not outline the nightmare." He said finally, remembering the girl from that afternoon.

"Alright." Rei didn't push him. The nekojin wasn't ready to risk being pushed out yet again for his impatience. For now, this would be enough.

Kai drifted off again, laying with his back almost against Rei's chest, feeling safe and comfortable.

-------------

Rei's eyes opened and he shivered slightly. _I never get cold like that..._ He thought, shifting positions slightly. He felt Kai shift against him and, couldn't help but smile a little at the sensation. It took him a moment more to put together what must have happened last night.

"Kai, wake up." Rei said gently, shaking the older teen. Concern could be read easily from his tone, though very little else could.

Kai stirred a little, but seemed reluctant to completely awaken. "Kai, wake up," Rei repeated, "The weather's starting to turn cold, you can't sleep like this." Both his voice and his shaking had become more insistent.

The crimson eyes flickered open then, and widened as Kai too registered what had occurred. "Rei I'm-"

"Don't. We'll talk after." Rei said gently, concern still echoing in his tone. "Go get cleaned up, I'll do this."

Kai wasn't sure what to say, he looked like he wanted to argue but Rei's calm matter of factness made it difficult. Especially since the neko was already starting to pull the soaked sheets off of the bed. Subconsciously it reminded him of another time, another place. Silently, he went to shower, saying nothing else just then.

Rei finished removing the sheets from the bed, and wet to put them in the washer. When he got back to their room, Kai was already there, getting dressed. "I'm going to go shower." Rei said delicately, grabbing his things and leaving Kai alone.

_He's never going to forgive me _Kai thought bitterly, _Knowing...maybe. He isn't the kind to tease but...this _is _different. _His thoughts ran in circles for a long time, until Rei reentered the room.

Kai watched as the Chinese boy sat down on the edge of his bed, before motioning for Kai to side down. With only a very slight hesitation, Kai walked over and sat down beside Rei.

"I want to apologize I-"

"There's no reason to apologize."

Kai drew up short, staring at Rei blankly.

"Did you do it on purpose?"

"Of course not! How could you-"

"Then why should you apologize? It's not intentional. You don't control it, you almost certainly wish it _didn't _happen, so why should you say you're sorry?"

Kai blinked once, "But...still..."

Rei shook his head, "It isn't your fault, I'm not angry, and no one else ever needs to know, unless you want them to. You...I wish..." He paused and shook his head. "I'm going to go ahead and make breakfast." _Before I make a fool of myself._

_----------_

That afternoon brought another visit from the silver haired girl. Today, Sara wore blood red triangles on her cheeks, arranged identically to Kai's. She flashed a bright smile and hugged Rei warmly.

"Rei, I was wondering if Kai was here?"

"Why would you want to talk to _him_?" Tyson interjected.

Sara rolled her eyes at him before looking back at Rei.

"Yeah he is. He's in the backyard training a bit."

"Thank you." She said quietly, before she turned and walked off to go and see the Russian blader.

"She copied him." Tyson said, laughing.

"Actually, no. I told you she wore paint like that."

"I don't believe-"

"And? Besides, He's a allowed to have fans, too." Max added, loudly.

-----------

Sara stood back a bit, watching Kai direct Dranzer through an obstacle course of sorts.

"You're really good." She said after the third or fourth perfect run. There was a slight smile on her face when he turned around to face her.

"Hn." He responded with a slight shrug.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I all but ignored you, and practically took over your training session. That was very rude of me, and very poor form as a guest." Sara said in calm, unaccented Russian, it was unclear whether the language shift was intentional or accidental.

"Watching Tyson have his ass kicked was worth it." He responded in kind.

"I'm glad I didn't offend you, br- Kai."

"Kai's expression changed as her speech slipped, and she hurriedly corrected herself. He almost questioned her, but then decided that he didn't care enough to bother. "Hn." After his reply he returned to the course, launching Dranzer again.

_A pleasure to speak with you, little brother._ She thought as she withdrew slowly. It took her several moments to find Rei and the others.

"How'd it go?" Rei questioned carefully.

Sara shrugged. "It went alright."

-----------

Sara ate lunch with the team, but stayed mostly quiet, listening to the boys (mostly Tyson, Max and Kenny) chat.

"After your food settles a little, want to blade?" Kai asked.

"Sure." Sara responded enthusiastically, with a smile.

About an hour later, they were all gathered outside. Rei stood near the bey dish with Sara to his right and Kai to his left.

"Are you ready?" Rei asked, looking back and forth. Kai nodded once.

"Yeah!"

"Begin."

"Let it Rip!" The pair called out. The blades struck the dish and began to circle each other. Kai and Sara concentrated completely on the match.

Beyblades met in the center of the bey stadium, and sparks flew. The silver and white blade – Celenia – withdrew from the melee to recover a little before driving back in towards the blue one. Sara was smiling slightly as she studied the twin blades.

"They're really well matched – like Tyson and Kane were, almost." Rei stated after a while. His golden eyes never strayed from the match.

"No kidding." Dizzy interjected, "Their stats are almost identical."

"Celenia!" Sara called out suddenly, and the silver phoenix rose from the blade.

"Dranzer!" Kai echoed a moment later, and the bright red phoenix rose from its blade to meet the silver one talon on talon. They swirled together struggling against one another. All the while, the beyblades struck together repeatedly, sparking frequently.

"Congratulations, Kai. You've officially lasted longer than 90% of my opponents." Sara said with a small laugh. "But don't get cocky." She warned.

"I don't get cocky."

She snorted slightly, "Everyone gets cocky." She murmured to herself as she returned the whole of her attention to the match.

Kai's expression changed suddenly, and Dranzer attacked with everything she had. Celina flew, blade striking the ground at Sara's feet. "Nice match," She said, dipping her head slightly.

"Hn" Kai responded.

Sara sighed. "Doesn't take much." She muttered to herself, turning her attention to the other Blade Breakers.

"Rei, come on, I want to blade you." She said, motioning slightly.

"Alright," A moment later Rei had taken Kai's place at the Bey Stadium.

"You ready?" Sara asked, Rei nodded and smiled slightly.

"3...2...1...LET IT RIP!"

Drigger clipped the silver and white blade as the pair began to circle a little. Celina chased Drigger around the dish, striking him repeatedly before withdrawing and allowing him a chance to recover and retaliate.

"She's letting him..." Max began.

"It's a training match more than anything. A test, I think.." Kenny added slowly.

Kai rolled his eyes slightly. "She's testing him." His eyes flicked up from the match to look at Rei's intense expression as the Neko concentrated on the match that he fought. Crimson eyes settled back on the bey stadium to watch the blades testing each other.

The match wasn't so intense, it was more relaxed – a show, rather than a fight. It was a change of pace, and quite interesting to watch in it's own way. It ended with Sara calling Celina out of bey stadium and catching her in mid air, nodding at Rei with a warm smile.

"You're getting good, Tiger." She said lightly.

"I'm going to go ahead and stop invading for the afternoon. I'm gonna let your Captain at you before he decides to kill me." It was hard to say if her words were meant to be teasing, or if she was serious. Which ever it was, she walked off before Rei could really respond.

-----------

The Blade Breakers trained for a long while that afternoon. The evening was uneventful. That night Kai slept easy, unhaunted by dreams of the silver haired girl.


	10. Chapter 10

**[A/N: Yay! An update. R&R please.**

**Disclaimer: /looks around/ nope, still don't own Beyblade. I just happen to be quite fond of it.]**

Rei made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast that morning, setting plates down on the table, humming softly to himself. He put out the syrup for the team, and sighed contentedly. _Every morning should be like this._ He thought with a small small.

"Breakfast, everyone!" He called out, his voice resounding through the house loud enough that after a moment Kai followed by Max and and the others entered the room.

"You made chocolate chip pancakes?" Kai said, with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know. Everyone's going to be insanely hyper, and I'll regret it later. But..." He paused for a moment. "It seemed appropriate at the time."

Kai rolled his eyes and sat down at the table.

Breakfast was uneventful, minus hyper activity from both Tyson and Max.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Kai said, sounding almost teasing.

---------

"He doesn't remember me. At all." Sara said, looking up at the red head with a tired sigh.

"He just needs some time. He's not big on his past – he might just need a bit to understand that you really _are _that girl, and he isn't insane. It's been...a little over ten years. You can't possibly blame him."

"I don't. I just... I don't know what to do. I'm afraid I'm going to say something and freak him out."

"Kai's hard to disturb."

"Even from someone who can recall a history he'd rather forget?"

"Hm. Good point."

"Exactly. I don't want to hurt him. And it's even more distracting, because I'm wedged between Rei – who has no idea – and Kai who I can't tell one way or another on. Rei is asking questions. Already. I'm not going to be able to stall for too long, before he gets worried. But...if I tell _him _I don't know how he is going to react...and there's still Kai. I'd rather him know first. It'll save issues in the long run."

"Poor Sara. Voltaire really did tear your family apart."

"Yeah. But, you say it as if he didn't tear up your family, or Bryan's."

"He didn't. We didn't really _have _families. At least, as far as we can remember."

"Hm. But still."

"You'll figure it out, Sara. I have faith in you. Now, I'm gonna go and catch up with the others. You sort yourself out."

Sara nodded, "Take care of yourself, and your team will ya?"

"Always." He walked away.

-----------

"The other day, the first time Sara came over. She seemed to...disturb you..." Rei began slowly. "I was wondering, if you'd tell me why."

They were sitting in the living room, it was late afternoon. Tyson, Max, and Kenny had gone to see a movie, and weren't due back for several hours. They'd trained earlier in the day, and Kai had (surprisingly) agreed to give them the later afternoon off.

"Why not." Kai said, pausing to take a sip of the tea that Rei had made for him. A tired sigh escaped his lips. "She reminds me of someone who lived with me, at Voltaire's, when I was very young. My older sister, I think."

"You think...?"

"Some of the memories are unclear, and it has been a very long time."

"Do you think it's the same person?"

"I do."

Rei blinked for a moment. "Oh."

"What?"

"It's just that...she seemed really off around you too. And she wouldn't tell me what was up. And it's making me think."

"We'll just have to wait and see, I guess. About what happens."

Rei nodded a little. "What if she is the same person?"

"I don't know."

There was a strange smile playing at the edge of Kai's lips.

"What?"

"Subject change." He said absently.

"Hm?"

Kai leaned closer to Rei, "Subject change." He breathed.

"I don't -"

Suddenly Rei _couldn't _speak. He could hardly think straight. Kai's scent so close was driving him mad. He leaned in a little, closing the short distance between them, and bringing his lips against Kai's. One of Kai's arms slipped behind Rei's back, half supporting him as the kiss deepened. Rei's arms slipped around Kai, pulling him a little closer.

A moment later, it was broken. Rei was blushing furiously, looking at a spot on the floor. Kai was watching Rei thoughtfully. "Why are you so embarrassed?" There was no questioning the teasing sound in Kai's voice.

"I...kissed you."

"I enjoyed it. Though, in the future, somewhere with a little less chance of being walked in on, would be nice."

**[A/N: Yes. Kai basically knew what he was getting into when he leaned that close to Rei. He was curious. Hope you liked it. ^ ^]**


	11. Chapter 11

**[A/N: So, we had a somewhat startling last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comp crashes suck. End of story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. I just don't.]**

Rei sat perched on the porch, watching Tyson and Kai blade the next morning. _I kissed him last night. He didn't mind...he even hinted that he wouldn't mind future repeats. Why did I kiss him? I didn't...mean to. I didn't consciously ever make the decision to kiss, it just...happened. Why? I knew I liked him but...does it run so deep? _He paused in his consideration to pay a little more attention to the match, studying the blades as they crashed together. _I felt out of control. The Elders said that we would know our mates when the time came. Does that mean...?_ In his mind's eye, the scene from the night before replayed. _It was almost as if he expected..._

He was jerked from his thoughts by Tyson's blade flying through the air.

"Hey, Rei! You gonna come over here and train, or are you going to daydream some more?" Kai called out.

"I'm coming. I was just watching your match."

"Liar." Tyson interjected.

Rei rolled his eyes, but didn't argue any more. He got up and walked over to the pair. Training continued for most the afternoon.

------------

Rei sat on his bed that evening, he had the radio on – though the volume was low, and he was drawing. He was humming along with the song that was playing, though it was one he was only partly familiar with. The sketch was quickly turning into a piece he wanted to get absolutely perfect. The eyes of the figure were starting to annoy him, as he was having trouble getting them just right.

He didn't notice Kai standing in the door way his attention was so focused on the song and picture. "Malchik Gey*?" Kai said aloud, sounding incredulous.

Rei jumped slightly and blushed, looking up at Kai. "What?"

"Do you know what it _means?_"

"Yes."

Kai shook his head slightly, moving across the room and perching on his bed, watching Rei as the younger teen looked back at his drawing, the blush not quite fading. "Do I want to know what you're drawing?"

"Probably not."

"Show me."

Rei turned the picture around wordlessly. "It's not finished."

"You're drawing me?"

"That easy to guess?"

"Yes."

Rei's blush deepened noticeably.

"I'm not wearing a shirt."

"I hadn't gotten that far yet...?"

"You sound like your _asking _me. Besides, if you intended to put a shirt on me, I'm fairly certain you wouldn't have taken the time to detail the chest."

There was a moment of silence during which Rei opened his mouth as if to speak and then shut it, still blushing.

"You turn amusing colors when you're embarrassed."

Rei didn't immediately respond to that, instead he spent some time controlling the blush that had flooded his cheeks. After a moment he had some success and the blush faded slowly.

"I did have a purpose for coming up here."

"I figured as much." Rei put the picture down on the bed and turned off the radio. Then he turned and faced Kai completely. "Well?"

"About last night."

"Oh..."

"You been so out of whack today. I didn't think it would bother you so much."

"It didn't bother me. I just..."

"You just...?"

"It caught me by surprise..."

Kai said nothing for a long while. "There's more."

"I felt out of control." _It felt amazing. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I can't say it quite like that, now can I?_

"Is that bad?"

"I don't know."

"And Rei, the eyes look fine." Kai said, giving Rei an unreadable look as he rose and left the room.

Rei blinked, _that was...abrupt..._ He thought as he stared after Kai. After a moment he settled back onto the bed and went back to his sketch. He didn't bother turning the radio back on.

-------------------

A few days passed, the Blade Breakers trained hard. Kai, much to his own pleasure awoke dry each night. And Rei, well Rei was still caught attempting to sort out his feelings.

Sara came by that day. Rei half dragged her away from the others, finally ready to question her. "You. Kai. What's going on?"

Sara laughed a little, "I knew you were going to attack me, but I'm not ready yet. I need to talk to Kai first. I … it's really complicated."

"Please tell me? I can keep a secret."

"I...I know you can."

"Then why can't you tell me?"

"I don't know how you'll react."

"Try me."

She sighed softly. "I knew Kai a long time ago. I...cared for him when he was young, before he was taken to the Abbey."

"What was he to you?"

"My little brother." She said after a long moment.

Rei was quiet for a moment as he allowed himself to register the information fully. _Somewhat Ironic. I wonder how you're going to take finding out that I'm _seriously _into him. _"I bet your happy to be reunited with him."

"I am. I'll be happier when I decide how to talk to him. I...it's hard for me."

"I can understand that. But I'm also sure that you'll find a way."

"Maybe."

"Talking to him isn't so bad."

"You're also one of his teammates."

"Ha. As if that makes a difference."

"Doesn't it?" Sara asked slowly.

"Not really. To an extent, maybe. Not much."

"I didn't know that."

Rei smiled a little at her, "Of course you didn't."

* * *

_And that leaves me caught in between. I should have told her. But...I don't want to break confidence with Kai, even though he didn't say anything about keeping it between us. I don't want to upset him. Caught in between. She knows who he is, he knows who she is. Neither will mention it to the other. _Rei shook his head, before leaning back with a sigh.

"What's up?" Max asked, watching Rei through bright blue eyes.

"Nothing, just thinking."

"Something you wanna talk about?"

"Nah."

"Alright then." Max shook his head slightly before getting up and leaving the room, leaving Rei to his own devices in the empty living room.

**[A/N: '****Malchik Gey' means 'gay boy' I believe it's Russian. Anyway, it's a song from the band t.A.T.u. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the title.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please Review.]**


	12. Chapter 12

**[A/N: Are we having fun yet? :p**

**Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, I'm back, or I should be. And...I'm sorry this update was so long in coming.**

**After a brief recap, I've decided that this story is friggin' hilarious, if you look at it the right way. I dunno. Maybe it's my mood.**

**ANYWAY: Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade. Do Not. I just enjoy writing with the characters. Getting in their heads is fun.]**

**-------------**

Kai was typing away on his personal laptop – the one Kenny wasn't allowed near. His attention was wholly concentrated on hacking the security system at Voltaire's mansion, because despite having the passwords, it was more amusing this way. Besides, it was kind of like a video game, only it required real intelligence. Within ten minutes he met with success and began tapping the video files that had been stored since the system had been put in place. It was time to do some research. _This is why I don't let anyone near this thing – the last thing I need is one of them getting access to these videos._

The first few were no gos, but he kept trying, knowing from experience that if he was patient enough, the tapes would show him what he wanted to know. The videos showed him very little for a long while. Finally, he got back into the right time period – admittedly he was surprised that the system apparently actually had kept the videos from very early on. These were dated from several years before.

The first one he clicked on was of Voltaire and Boris – apparently discussing him, alone. _This must have been right before I went to the Abbey. _With that judgment made, he knew roughly where to look now. He clicked on another, and watched, waiting.

A nine year old version of the girl Rei had introduced them to was standing on the balcony, staring out across the landscape. A quick assessment revealed that she was upset, her entire form shaking slightly – whether with tears or rage, it was impossible to tell just yet. She turned at a sound, now facing the camera. Fury marked her features, though faint traces of tear streaks could be seen, if you were looking. She was glaring off screen.

"How could you! He's just a child." She yelled.

"It was time, besides you were spoiling him. He needs to learn not to act like a baby."

Sara rolled her eyes, "He is a _child_. Treating him like something else won't change that."

"You'd be surprised."

"You'll destroy him."

"Better one of you than both, because of your behavior."

"I don't know what your problem is! He's only five. It wasn't time."

"The others were the same age."

She bit her lip. "No wonder you screwed them up so bad."

"Excuse you?"

"Bryan? Emotionless, cold, cruel – he almost killed me, Tala, and himself when his bit went out of control. He's too young for that, too."

"There are bound to be accidents, he's learning."

"You'll ruin their ability to function, Voltaire. People need people. They need to trust – have friend – a childhood, a family."

"You're wrong, and I won't hear another argument from you."

She glared at him. "I hate you."

"I knew that already."

She spun away from the camera, seeming to ignore Voltaire.

"You have twenty four hours to pull your back together, then your training begins anew."

"Fine."

Kai watched for a few moments longer before cutting it off, deciding that there was nothing more to view on that clip. _Very interesting scene. Though it left me with more questions I think. When did Bryan's bit go out of control? I would think I'd remember that – even if it was years ago. Maybe they didn't tell me..._ Kai shook his head. "I shouldn't be doing this. I'd flip if I found out someone had gone over old tapes like this." He'd done it before, but never to look for a specific person – and that _was_ the difference right now.

He turned off the laptop and put it away, laying on his side on the bed, comfortable for a moment. Outside the window, he could hear Tyson and Max going at it. Rei had gone shopping a little earlier that afternoon, and probably hadn't returned yet, he decided._ I wish I knew what to do about the Girl emerging from my history. I can't just ignore her nor can I forget her. There has to be an easier way to deal with this._

Kai twisted to look at the bedside table as his phone went off. He reached out a grabbed it, glancing at the lit up face before hitting the talk button. "Hello,"

"Okay? Why do I care again?"

"Right. I though I actually knew. Whatever you're planning, isn't a good idea. He's not going to like the group of people thing."

"I don't know yet,"

"I have time to make up my mind, trust me."

"Crazy red head." He said, with a short laugh before hanging up the phone. "Birthday party. For Bryan – really? He thinks that boy's gonna go for it?" He shook his head slightly. "I should go – just to make sure Tala didn't go way over board." _I could almost feel bad for Bryan, with Tala doing his party._ Which was completely true.

------

"Tala, what did you do?" Bryan asked, watching the red head as he came out of the bedroom, still holding his phone.

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"It's a surprise. And I have another phone call to make."

Bryan stared at him suspiciously for a long moment before shrugging. "Whatever it is, you'll do it anyway, so there's no point in worrying about it now."

"Exactly."

"That's not a good thing." Bryan muttered under his breath. He watched the red head until he disappeared back into the bedroom for the second call. _I have a feeling I'm not at all going to like what he's planning._

----------

Rei finished putting groceries away just as Kai walked into the kitchen behind him. "Hey." He called out over his shoulder before returning to his original task.

"You're in a good mood."

Rei nodded a bit at Kai's statement, shrugging it off. "Am I not allowed?" It was teasing, more than a little playful.

"You're allowed, it just surprised me, after you brooded so much yesterday."

Rei's shoulders rolled in a light shrug. "I decided that whatever happens will, there's no point in worrying now, is there?"

"I wish I could be so optimistic."

Rei frowned slightly, "It's not that hard."

"It can be."

"True." He smiled gently at Kai. "But there's nothing to worry about, at least not right now."

Kai shrugged and turned, "I'm going to go blade for a bit."

"Lunch will be ready soon."

"Hn." Kai responded as he exited the kitchen.

----------

Sara rolled her eyes, "I don't know what you're planning Tala, but -"

"Fine, I'll be there, promise. Someone has to keep you from driving poor Bryan out of his mind."

She hung up the phone. "I know your planning something, I just don't know what. So, I'm going to play along." She murmured to herself.

-------------

Tala laughed as he hung up the phone. _I don't care if you do know I'm playing a game, as long as you play along, secrets don't matter._ Which was true. As long as he could get them together, he was sure he could make it work. _Now I just have to make sure Kai comes._


	13. Chapter 13

**[A/N: I'm trying to update this as much as possible. Not because I'm in a hurry to finish, but because I know I've kept you all waiting for a long time for the way this story works out.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Beyblade. Wish I did.]**

The white blade shifted back and forth, never actually coming in contact with its blue counterpart. It didn't seem particularly interested in the fight, in fact, it seemed almost playful as it managed to dodge another of Dranzer's attacks. It's blader seemed pleased, his opponent on the other hand, seemed to be getting annoyed.

"Are you really going to do this all day?" Kai asked, crimson eyes flicking up from the fight to focus on the Tiger.

"I don't know, maybe. It seems to be aggravating you." There was a spark in Rei's eye that warned of something to come.

"Hn." Kai looked back at the swirling blades, choosing to ignore the Tiger for a few more moments, figuring that there must be something to this tactic that he had missed.

Suddenly, the Tiger bit launched into action. Drigger exploded forward, Kai responded with Dranzer just in time. The two beasts struggled above their blades for several minutes, sending sparks flying everywhere.

"Pleased with yourself?" Kai asked, noting a small smile on Rei's face.

"No, not exactly."

Kai didn't respond to that, not having anything more to say.

The battle continued for several moments, but then Kai turned the tables on the Tiger. Drigger went flying – Rei caught the blade in midair and looked up at Kai.

"You're getting better." Kai said with a shrug.

Rei rolled his eyes. "Not really. I'm gonna go do lunch now, before Tyson starts whining again."

"Probably a good idea. It's too tempting to strangle him when he whines."

Rei laughed softly as he walked towards the house. He turned in the door way, "Very true." Then he went inside, still smiling to himself. _It's nice, having him like this. So...almost an about face, sometimes. Others...just the same as always. But he seems...lighter, somehow. Not more open – more trusting but not as sharp either. I like it._

----------

"Hello?" Tala said, answering the phone.

"I'm coming to your insane idea of a birthday party."

"How could you say that?"

"You threw one for me once. I'm allowed."

"Good point. I'd almost forgotten about that."

"I hadn't."

Tala winced slightly at the tone. "It wasn't that bad!" He sounded defensive.

"Yes it was."

"Well...maybe..."

Tala hung up the phone, a grin spreading across his features. "YES!" He yelled, bouncing around a bit.

Bryan watched from the door with one eyebrow raised. "Why do I get the feeling I should be afraid?"

Tala froze, spinning to face Bryan. "You shouldn't be. Nothing's going on."

"Right. Nothing. Like Kai's party nothing."

Tala winced. "You and Kai just can't let that go..."

"It was a disaster. And he got into so much trouble over it."

"I know. I know. But, we don't have to worry about that anymore."

"I can't believe I promised to sit through whatever ever this is."

"You did it 'cause you love me."

Bryan's expression changed a bit. "I'm going to train." He spun on his heel and left the room.

"Right. Love's a dirty word. I really need to remember that around him." Tala shook his head as he watched the lavender haired blader exit the room in record time. _I hate it when I upset him. I never quite know what will set him off...You'd think after all this time, I'd figure out what it was._

-----------

Bryan launched the blade again and again. He concentrated on a mark he'd made in the dirt. The blade hit that mark every single time, usually almost dead center. His jaw was tight, and he kept his lavender eyes narrowed against the blinding sun.

_Stupid. Teasing. Infuriating redhead! You don't even know what you're doing to me! You're torchering me, Tala. Just stop it! But I can't tell you that. Firstly it would upset you, then it would make you ask questions that I can't afford to answer._

The blade struck again and he released a harsh breath. _Birthday's tomorrow. You totally went over __board, and I know it._

Bryan still remembered Kai's birthday party, by Tala. After that, no one was allowed to even think about throwing a party for Kai. Not that Bryan could blame the Phoenix.

_Tala had gone all out. There were banners, and streamers – noise makers and party favors. Where the redhead had gotten all this stuff – no one really wanted to know. There was a huge cake – chocolate, and sodas of various types._

"_Tala, there aren't that many of us – what did you do?"_

"_Nothing I just wanted to make this a good party."_

_Kai rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Voltaire isn't going to be happy."_

"_You don't know that." Ian said lightly, taking Tala's side._

"_Yes, I do."_

"_Lighten up Kai, it's your birthday. He won't be that mad." Tala assured him._

_There was music – Kai's favorites, too, playing loudly on the stereo._

_It took Kai the better part of an hour to relax into the party. Things were going well, and they were playing some games – acting almost like the nine and ten year olds that they were. _

_Tala was running, he slipped and lost his balance. He fell head first into the huge china cabinet against the western wall. Bryan reacted with amazing reflexes, knocking the redhead out of the way as it fell, all of the china shattering. They landed a few feet away from the wreckage, bruised, but intact._

_Kai, Spencer, and Ian were standing towards the center of the room, staring in horror at the mess – the wreaked cabinet and well over two thousand dollars worth of fine china._

_Tala turned to survey the wreckage, "Bry could you get off now?" The Lavender haired boy nodded and moved, immediately._

_Voltaire chose that moment to check on the boys. And every single one of them knew there would be trouble. But...he just smiled. "It's time for you all to go home. Go wait in the parlor, and I'll call Boris."_

_Bryan went tight, eyes widening as he looked at the other boys. Tala went white – and all of them lost all semblance of children – suddenly they were all expressionless and calm. "Yes sir." Bryan said calmly and he walked out, obeying, and hoping that it would curb some of Voltaire's anger, if they behaved and left. The other's followed suit. And Kai was left alone facing Voltaire._

Bryan shook his head sharply. "They can't hurt us. They can't hurt any of us for this party, no matter what happens." Bryan whispered as he continued blading.

-----------

"_Clean this up, and then come to my study."_

"_Yes sir." Kai's voice was dead as he approached the mess._

"_All of it. Not just that wreck."_

"_Yes sir." Kai repeated as he heard Voltaire walk out of the room, presumably to call Boris to come and get Tala and the others._

_------------_

_Nine year old Kai stood facing Voltaire across the desk. He looked skittish – terrified now._

"_You knew better."_

_Kai looked away. "I just wanted to have some fun."_

"_I have been incredibly lenient. That stops now. This is the last stunt of that kind you will pull. You are going to Japan. I will be spending some time there as well. You will answer to directly to me."_

"_What's in Japan?"_

"_The streets. You'll learn the hard way. The next part of your training."_

_Kai shivered, but said nothing more than, "Yes, Sir."_

_----------------_

Kai shook himself slightly, clearing the flashback from his mind. _That can't happen, now._

"Kai, you alright?" He heard Rei ask from across the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Rei was watching him thoughtfully.

"What?" Kai asked after a moment of study.

"Just thinking."

"That's my answer."

"Ha." Rei blushed a bit and glanced away.

"Anything interesting?"

"I can't tell you?"

"Why?"

"I'd have to show you."

Kai looked intrigued, but said nothing, instead he looked back at the book he'd originally been reading. He set it down on the bedside table. Rei stood up and walked over to where Kai sat on his bed. Kai tried not to watch Rei, figuring that if he did, the Tiger would abruptly change his mind. And he was curious.

Rei perched on the edge of the bed beside Kai, and leaned forward. He deliberately pressed his lips against Kai's. The Phoenix responded enthusiastically, arms slipping around the Tiger firmly as his lips parted slightly to admit Rei's tongue. They went no further – but they didn't have to. Rei pulled back after several moments, breathing deeply. His golden eyes burned with emotion.

Kai gave him the tiniest smile of aproval. "Bed time, Tiger. You're tired."

Rei bit his lip. "I know. I just wish it wasn't."

"Another time, maybe."

Rei smiled a bit, and got back up, going to lay in his own bed. _One day, hopefully bedtime won't mean leaving your side._


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N This took longer than expected, but also came out longer. I hope you all enjoy the piece.**

**I do not own Beyblade.**

Kai woke up panting, barely able to get a full breath. He could feel the chilled wetness that told him what he hadn't wanted to know. _Here we go again. _Bitter anger tore through him. _What is wrong with me! I'm 15 years old. This is ridiculous. _He cleaned up the mess and changed clothing, after cleaning himself up as well. Kai seated himself on the edge of the newly made bed, shivering a little from the memory of the nightmare, and the chill of the night air.

A glance at the clock told him that it was only three a.m. He bit his lip, not wanting to go back to sleep, but unable to do anything else, either. Kai could see Rei's sleeping form across the room. He bit at his lip, unsure of what to do now. _He shouldn't be upset. At least, I don't think he would. I can't – no...He's never hurt me. He couldn't ever hurt me, either._

Finally he stood and moved across the room. He stood at the end of Rei's bed for a moment. _No, I can't. _He turned away intending to leave.

"Kai?" A soft, groggy voice came from the bed. "What are you doing up?"

"I didn't mean to wake you." Kai murmured.

"What's wrong?" He heard an odd tone in Kai's voice.

"I -" His voice trailed off.

"You can tell me, It's alright."

"I had a nightmare." He admitted after a moment.

"Come lay down." Rei began gently, "Then we can talk about it, if you want."

"Rei, I -"

"I don't mind, Kai"

Kai hesitated. And heard Rei sigh softly. "you can trust me, Kai, I won't tell anyone. I just want to help you," He paused then. "Please trust me." he added after a moment.

"I do. It's just..."

"How can I help you?"

"I don't know!"

"I'm sorry, Kai."

"No need. I just...it's hard for me. I know you won't hurt me, but that doesn't make opening up any easier. I've spent fifteen years keeping everything to myself, I don't know how to..."

"And I understand that. I really do. I just – It isn't in my nature to stand by and ignore my friend's pain."

Kai couldn't help but smile a little at that. "It's Tala's birthday party idea."

"Why would that give you nightmares?" Rei prompted.

Kai sat down on the edge of the bed, but within moments allowed himself to be coaxed into laying down. "He threw me a birthday party, when I was nine."

"What happened?"

Kai released a slow breath, and began his story.

* * *

"Bryan, What's the matter?"

"Nothing, Tala."

"You've been acting so odd this morning."

"I promise, there's nothing wrong."

Bryan set his beyblade and beylancher on the table, turning to face the redhead fully. "I'm looking forward to us all being together again. Just, try not to break anything this time."

"I won't!"

Bryan laughted a little, giving Tala a flash of a smile, "Just a few more hours."

"I know! I'm so excited."

"I'm glad. I just hope your plan doesn't backfire."

"It won't."

"Kai and Sara, reunited at last." Bryan said quietly.

"And an amazing birthday party for you." Tala added in an excited voice.

Bryan gaze a nod and a slight shrug, "It'll be interesting, to say the least."

"That's not very nice." Tala pouted.

"But it's true."

* * *

Sara managed to keep a warm smile on as she knocked on the door. Tala answered seconds later with an infectious grin on his face.

"Sara! You made it. Come in, get comfortable." He led her inside easily. "Drinks are there, and there are snacks through there."

"Thank you, Tala.. So, where's the birthday boy?"

"The Balcony."

Sara altered her course, moving through the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony. Immediately she was confronted with those lavender eyes. She noted a tiny edge hidden in them. "Still oblivious, is he?"

"Yes." Bryan said with a sigh.

Sara shook her head slightly.

"He reads everyone else – works on hook them up. But me..? It's like he doesn't even care."

"We're often blind to those nearest up." Sara murmured sadly.

Bryan only nodded. "Tala would kill me, but I think I should warn you."

"About...?"

"Kai's going to be here, too. And I doubt Tal's going to give a buffer. But...don't avoid him, please."

"You agree with Tala?"

"It's time for you to be a family again." Bryan said tightly.

Sara nodded, "I agree but..."

"But?" Bryan urged softly.

"I'm scared." She admitted vaguely.

"I know, and that's alright, but Sara, it's time to stop hiding."

"I know. I needn't fear them any more."

"It's hard," Bryan said quietly, "I know, trust me."

She put an arm around him gently, "Love you, Little Brother." She whispered in Russian.

Bryan looked up and smiled slightly. "We should go be social now." He said with a sigh.

"Smile, everyone." She teased softly as she tugged him towards the glass doors that led into the rest of the house.

* * *

"I feel out of place."

"Why's that, Sara?"

"I'm the only girl, Ian."

She short blader laughed aloud for a moment. "Is that bad?"

"Han. You're all family. My brothers. You, Tala, and Bryan are my little brothers. Sencer's my older brother."

"What about Kai?"

"He isn't here yet." She frowned. "And I think he will be more like my double – my twin, than my baby brother."

"I think you're right," Spencer offered quietly, "In fact, approaching him with that in mind, probably wouldn't hurt your chances with him."

"I intend to." Sara's voice was almost sad.

Suddenly, they all heard a knock on the door. "I'll get it." Bryan called from the kitchen, where he'd been speaking with Tala.

"Kai, come on in." He said in his usual tone, with just a hint of warmth. "Everyone's here now."

"Who's everyone?" Kai asked.

"All of the boys, and Sara." Was the monotone response.

Kai glanced around, seeking the somewhat familiar face among his Brothers. He found her then, their gazes meeting. "You just keep popping up, Don't you?" He said evenly.

Sara flashed him a warm smile, suddenly very conscious of the blood red paint on her cheeks. "I guess I do. It's nice to see you again, Kai."

"I didn't know you guys knew Sara" Which was a lie, Sara was fairly certain.

Bryan shifted his weight slightly, lavender eyes flicking back and forth between the siblings.

"So, Kai how do you know Sara?" Ian asked.

"She's a friend of Rei's, he brought her over a few times." Kai responded. "How do you guys know her?"

"It's sort of complicated," Sara answered, slipping back into the conversation carefully. "Why don't we go ahead and order the pizza? I'll buy."

Kai raised an eyebrow, and seemed about to speak.

"Neither Sara or Bryan will let me cook. They're being mean."

Bryan rolled his eyes. "I want to avoid food poisoning, Tala." There was a teasing tone in his voice.

"So, what do we all want?"

"Cheese." Bryan said definitively.

"Pepperoni." Ian and Tala answered.

"Kai?" Sara asked as the room silenced a bit.

"I was thinking Supreme."

"Works for me." Spencer agreed with a smile.

"So three large pizzas. 1 Cheese, 1 Pepperoni, and a supreme?"

There seemed to be agreement all around so Sara stood up and walked out onto the balcony with her cell phone.

------------

So, what do you think?" Tala asked.

"Of?"

"The party, Kai, Japan even."

Sara laughed at the redhead softly. "It's ncie to be with Family again. Kai is...I don't know. He's been careful not to be easily engaged. Japan is nice – I like the culture. Though, I still like China better, I think."

"the party isn't over, I'm sure You'll get to talk to him."


	15. Chapter 15

Sara held a glass of sprite in her left hand. Her right hand rested in her lap, held in a loose fist. She listened to the boys chatting and commented regularly, but she felt odd and dis-joined from the group. The Soul Phoenix could feel Bryan and Tala glancing at her frequently, but she tried to ignore it. She knew why, too. A part of her was working up the courage to interrupt and ask him to talk to her, the rest was balking at the very thought of being alone with him. It left her a little confused. She had given the money to Bryan already so that when the pizza got there, he could pay for it, now all that remained was for her to sort it out.

"Kai, can I…talk to you on the balcony, for a moment?" She finally asked.

Kai hesitated a bit before nodding his consent. Sara rose and preceded him out into the cool outside air. She listened to him slide the door shut behind them, before turning to face him fully.

"I know who you are." Kai blurted his face unreadable. Deep crimson eyes gave nothing away.

"Do you?" Sara asked, allowing her voice to be warm and a little curious.

Crimson eyes flashed suspicion before he spoke. "You're Sara Hiwatari, the Soul Phoenix. You're Russian."

"And?" Her voice was even, calm, with only hints of the earlier emotion.

"You're my sister." He admitted the words out loud.

A sad smile answered him. "When did you find out?"

"I guessed the day you slipped up in Russian. You almost called me 'brother'* that's when I considered the idea."

Sara nodded a bit, thoughtfully. "I recognized you the second I saw you." She admitted.

"Figured."

She bit her lip, "I missed you." She said finally. He didn't respond.

"How old are you?"

"I'll be twenty in a few weeks."

"What, no questions in response?" There was an edge to his voice.

"Not today. Maybe not for a long time. I want to get to know you. "You're family not...other. My brother."

"You think of them as family." It wasn't a question, nor a direct response.

"Yes, I do."

"that's something we have in common."

She smiled a bit at the volunteered bit of information. "I sort of told Rei your birthday."

"Why?" Again, with suspicion.

"He wanted to know. Besides, he ought to be able to balance Tala a bit."

"Good point, about Tala." Kai paused a moment, "Wait, Rei asked you?"

Sara nodded thoughtfully.

This seemed to please Kai, but Sara wasn't sure if she could read him properly. Sara fidgeted a little, uncertain what to say now to her little brother.

There was a light tap on the glass door before it was gently pulled open. " just wanted to let you guys know that the pizza was here." Bryan's voice was edgy, frustrated. He sounded like he'd had just about enough.

_What did Tala do? _She wondered, figuring only the red head could have managed to rile Bryan's temper so quickly. "Alright, thanks Bryan." She tried to sound supportive, knowing he'd read what she meant.

Bryan went back inside and Kai looked over. "We should go back inside, probably." With that he went back in.

Sara hesitated a moment, settling the urge to laugh before following. _Nope, no one told him the real reason Tal did this. Probably a good thing. _Sara slid the door shut behind her. Kai had taken his place on one side of Tala, and they were talking. Bryan sat a little away, barely under control, if Sara was any judge. She grabbed a piece of pizza as her body reminded her she hadn't eaten since sunrise, and it was nearly nighttime.

She stat down next to the lavender haired blader quietly, not saying a word, for a while, just nibbling at the pizza.

A bit later on, the part was finally winding down.

"Bryan what is your problem? You've been sullen all evening."

Sara winced, sensing that the lavender haired boy had finally reached his limit. She put a restraining hand on Bryan's shoulder only to be shrugged off as he stood up, fury radiating from his form.

Spencer stood at about the halfway point between the pair. His expression was resigned, as if he'd expected this. Ian, intelligently, was well out of the way. This left Kai next to Tala and Sara a little behind the infuriated Falcon.

"You, Tala," Bryan hissed, "You're my 'problem'."

"What did I do?!" Tala snarled right back, "I did my best-"

"No! Wait and _listen. _You're completely blind. You don't pay me any attention. I'm sick and tired of you pretending you give a damn." Bryan clenched his fists, but didn't move," I've known you forever practically and in all that time...you don't seem to have learned ANYTHING. I hate parties. I don't like gifts. You're the one who reads me wrong and upsets me."

Sara put her hand on Bryan's shoulder. "Say it," She whispered in Russian.

"I've spent half my life yearning after you, wishing you'd notice me, instead of _him. _I'm sick of you being so totally in the dark!" Bryan spun then, and fled, escaping to the haven of his room, with the door shut.

Sara bit her lip, appearing torn. "I should..."

Spencer shook his head. "Let him calm himself in his own way. It's the first time he's really snapped since..."

She nodded a bit, thoughtfully. "Alright, Spencer." Her crimson eyes met with Tala's teal ones for a moment.

"I didn't know... really." He whispered, knowing Sara would hear. "I wasn't pretending I just didn't know what to do..."

"I know, Tal, and I don't blame you." She soothed.

"It's the way you gravitate – I thought...?"

She shook her head. "I don't take sides. I gravitate towards him because he had a harder time linking with people. He isn't autistic but...even before they tore him up, he had a hard time."

Tala nodded, "I remember."

"It's not entirely his fault," Spencer began.

"It isn't anyone's 'fault'. It just happened. Everything will turn out fine." Sara said quietly.

Sara was mentally exhausted as she walked into her apartment. She sank on to the couch soundlessly, closing her eyes and tilting her head back slightly. The girl breathed deeply, trying to relax. She was happy, just drained.

As she began to drift off, her cell phone rang. She jumped, pulling the phone out of her pocket.

"Hello?" Her voice was a little groggy, betraying the fact that she had been nearly asleep. Suddenly she sat straight up. "Voltaire? Where did you get this number?"

Sara bit down on her lip, keeping herself calm to the best of her abilities. She blinked. "How'd you get my address? Why are you calling?" She paused and listened for a long time. "What do you want?" She finally said.

"I'm _not _going back to Russia with you, without a fight." She hissed. _I have to warn the others. I-I can't stay here. _Mentally, she was about to panic, but on the outside, you couldn't tell...yet.

"Hey, Kai." Rei greeted from his position on the couch. He'd been watching a movie originally, though it had just gone off a moment before. "How was the party?"

"I don't want to talk about that right now." He said mildly.

"Oh." Rei said, he bit his lip slightly.

Kai gave a small smile, "The others are already asleep?"

"Yeah, I haven't heard from then in a while."

Kai shook his head a bit, and took a seat beside Rei. "Tala set me up."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked gently, prompting Kai.

"He planned it so Sara and I..."

"Ah." Rei responded, "Tired?" He asked, watching Kai carefully.

"Sort of." He answered.

"Come on," Rei murmured, tugging his hand as he stood up. Kai reversed their positions suddenly, leading him up the stairs. Once in their room, instead of releasing the nekojin, pulled him closer.

Rei was surprised to suddenly be standing only a centimeter or two away from Kai. The Russian's scent was clouding his mind driving him man. "Kai, don't tease," he half murmured, speaking through the haze.

"Who's teasing?" Kai breathed in his ear before shifting to kiss Rei deeply.

Rei's sensible reasoning totally failed him as Kai guided him backwards and then down on to the bed.

Kai hesitated for a second on the closures of Rei's shirt. "Do you want this?"

"Rei," Rei purred softly.

"Rei, think for a second,"

"I am. And I do want this. I won't regret it."

Kai slid Rei's shirt off with a soft rustle of silk on skin.

"Bryan, I'm sorry." Tala said standing in the door way, with the lavender haired boy staring reproachfully. It had been two hours since the end of the party.

The other boy looked away, but he listened.

"I didn't mean to upset you...I just went to make up for the disaster last time."

"You don't need to make up for that. What's done is done, Tala." Bryan murmured.

Tala bit his lip and came down to sit beside Bryan. However, before much else could be side, the sound of sobbing in the living room startled them both into action.

Sara was biting her lip as she knocked on the door. Spencer answered.

"What's the matter?" Spencer sounded immediately protective and worried.

Sara dissolved, managing only one word, "Voltaire." Spencer wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed, soothing her gently. It took several minutes for Sara to pull herself together again. At that point she became aware of the fact that Tala, Bryan, and Ian had joined them in the living room.

"What happened?" Bryan asked calmly, gently probing for information now that she had calmed down a little.

"I went home and then I got a phone call. Voltaire got my cell number. And...he knew where my apartment was up to the apartment number, and I panicked...I wanted you guys to know and..."

Spencer's grasp on her tightened slightly, and it seemed clear that he didn't intend to let go any time soon.

"You're not going back there." Spencer said calmly. "Not by yourself. We'll go get your things tomorrow. But you're _not _going back." There was a chorus of agreements as he finished speaking.

"We have an extra room anyway, you can stay here." Tala added.

"We _have _to warn Kai," Sara said grimly disregarding the boys for a moment. "If you keep me out of reach, he'll go for Kai."

"We will, in the morning. He's an early riser, we'll call him. He won't be in any danger before then."

"Even if he is," Bryan began, "The Tiger will help protect him. They're close."

That seemed to calm Sara somewhat. She took several deep breaths, forcing some of the tension to leave her, taking the fear with it.

*Word spoken In Russian


	16. Chapter 16

**[A/N Ha. I keep forgetting to add messages to the chapters. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing. Especially **Kinomiya **who has reviewed every single chapter that I've put up. Thank you all for your support.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. Kai and Rei would have kissed if I did.]**

The tiger curled a little closer to his bed mate, snuggling against the warmth and trying to ignore the sun that was glaring through the window. A small corner of his mind considered the oddity of sleeping 'til after the run rose. Another considered his waking up with a partner. The third conscious section realized that he could feel skin pressed against his side and legs as well as an odd scent in the air.

_What? _Confusion flowed through him, fading as he recalled the night before. _It was real. We slept together. Kai..._ He opened his eyes. The Russian was curled on his side, facing him, with one arm draped across Rei, while Rei had awoken on his back with his leg trapped oddly beneath one of Kai's. He was warm and comfortable. Kai looked amazing, even sleeping.

Kai's cell phone rang, startling Rei slightly and bringing Kai into wakefulness. Kai answered groggily in Russian.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, I'm up."

"Yes, I just woke up – you woke me-"

"It is?" Kai sounded startled as he looked over at the clock. It was nine thirty. "Oh."

"What's going on?"

"I'll keep an eye out. I'll be careful."

Kai hung up and lay back for a second, still seeming a bit dazed.

"It's tempting to go back to-"

The door opened. Kai and Rei sat up as one, the blanket slipped – exposing them both. Blue eyes widen in shock. "Oh-Ka-Re-I-Sorry!" Max managed, jerking the door shut and stumbling back.

Rei blushed hard, cheeks suddenly flooded with color. Kai laughed a little, wrapping him in a slight hug. "There goes that idea." He said.

"What was the phone call about?" Rei asked, standing up and moving to dress.

"The Boy's warning me about Voltaire,"

"I see." Rei picked up their scattered clothing when he was done, throwing them into the hamper and making a mental note to do the laundry later. "Should we be worried?"

"I'm not sure," Kai began, realizing he couldn't _not _answer. "Right now we just wait."

Rei nodded. "Breakfast?"

Kai echoed Rei's nod. "I like that idea. Not used to sleeping this long."

Rei laughed softly, leading the way out of the room and down the stairs.

Max was blushing furiously when Rei and Kai appeared in the dining room.

"What's going on?" Tyson asked, glancing back and forth between Rei and Kai, and the blushing Max.

_It's that mischief in Kai's eye? He must be in a good mood _Rei was a little startled.

"Yeah, Max, what's going on?" Kai urged softly. It was impossibly for anyone by Rei to read that voice.

"I'll knock next time – I swear." Max managed after a moment.

"You'd better." Rei growled.

"What did he do?" Kenny asked.

Kai could tell Rei wasn't going to say anything else as the Tiger began blushing as well. Crimson eyes rolled as he shook his head. "Max walked in on Rei and me. Together. In bed." _And if they can't sort that out on their own, it isn't my problem._

"So you and Rei...? How long?" Max began slowly.

"Yes, and not very." Rei answered. "So, breakfast. What do we want?"

"Smooth change of topic. Um...If you'll do eggs and maybe grits, I can do bacon." Kai said mildly.

"I like that idea." Rei agreed with a smile.

**[scene break]**

Long fingered hands folded together on the desk. "Soon Boris. My wayward grandchildren must be controlled."

"Yes, sir. Of course. And we are working towards that end. It may take a little time to be able to secure them. They will be cautious." [i]Especially after that stunt you pulled, calling Sara last night.[/i]

"Kai goes off alone, frequently. Get him then."

"We will try, sir." _It isn't that simple._ Boris didn't say it though, he kept his thoughts firmly under control.

_Soon, Sara. You will regret running away to China. Kai – you'll wish you'd never met that filthy half-human beast. _"Dismissed, Boris."

The other man left, leaving Voltaire alone. "Soon." He whispered aloud, a glint in his eye.

**[scene break]**

Sara glanced around a bit as she began to awaken. It seemed only Bryan was awake with her. The others still lay in a bit of a tangle on the floor. It was no longer obvious where Bryan had been laying, near her.

"I called Kai." He said quietly.

"Thank you." She said softly, eyes wandering to the clock. A little after nine-thirty. Sara took a moment to extract herself from Spencer's grasp – Bryan watching bemusedly.

"I didn't expect you all to end up sleeping on the floor with me." She admitted softly, looking at Bryan.

"None of us really wanted to go apart, after what you said. And you were so comfortable on Spencer's lap. We sort of...ended up like that." Bryan gave her a tight smile. "I think we _all _found comfort in being together."

Sara gave a slight smile back. "I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go...I was so scared and-"

"Sar- you had a panic attack, and you were right to come here. We're family."

**[scene break]**

Kai and Tyson were blading. Rei sat with Max on the porch, deep in thought. _I didn't think about it last night, but I remember... _Rei had run his hand all along Kai's body in the dark – he recalled the sensation of skin but more than that... _Rough patches. Scar tissue a lot of it, across his back. _

Anger rose in the Tiger as he remembered the sensation of scar tissue against his skin. _I'll kill them. I'll hurt them for what they did to you. _

"Rei, you alright?" Kai sounded concerned.

Rei realized that he had growled aloud. He winced slightly, and forced a smile. "I'm fine, just thinking."

"You two come blade." Kai said tightly.

Rei and Max moved towards the beydish.


	17. Chapter 17

**[A/N: So, I finally have a direction for the story to take. This is good because it'll make updates a little faster, but sad because it means that I'm nearly to the end. However, I have a new story that I'm working on at the moment that'll be ready to be put online very soon. Reviews are love.**

**Edit: I have no excuse for my lateness other than marginal disinterest. Thank you all for bearing with me. And I want to thank everyone who continues to read this fic.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade. I just write fanfictions about the characters.]**

_Damn. _Kai thought, carefully restraining himself from saying it. _I just wish this set would end. I'm fifteen years old, this is completely ridiculous. _Kai sighed, tiredly into the darkness. He got up and he cleaned up the mess. Then, Kai went and took a long shower. It was early – only a little past six in the morning.

However, it wasn't another fifteen minutes before he was joined downstairs by Rei. "You should go back to bed, it's still early."

"I'm not tired, anymore." Rei answered, a slight smile on his face. "If I was, I'd still be in bed."

"I know, I just...I hate seeing you get up this early just because I'm up."

Rei moved across the room very quickly and gently lay his hand on Kai's shoulder. "I've always been an early riser- it isn't just because your up. I just actually get up now, instead of laying there quietly waiting for something to happen."

Kai gave him a slight smile in return, admittedly thankful for the company, for once. Rei slid his hand down to rest on Kai's own.

_**[Scene Break]**_

"Your task, Isawari, is very simple. When you see my grandson, Kai, do everything in your power to create a scene – an accident even, if you can manage it."

"What are the limitations, Sir?"

"There are none. He is too unwieldy as it is. You may do as much damage as you like. Make it look like a true accident. I won't hold it against you if he is killed in the events."

"And Sara?"

"Nothing, yet. Let us see what we can do with Kai, first."

"Yes, Sir." Isawari bowed soundlessly and exited the room as Voltaire waved him off.

_**[Scene Break]**_

Rei pushed himself hard in training that day. After Kai finally released them, he went for a run along beach. Endurance and speed. The Neko was just glad that the air was turning cold enough that people didn't spend much time on the beach. This meant he could just lose himself in the act of running, and not really consider what others may be thinking as they watched him. When he reached the furthest reaches of the area that he knew, Rei turned and began again, running in the other direction. He kept his breath even as he pushed himself, knowing that his endurance would last far longer if he could keep a steady breathing rate.

About half way through the returning direction, he heard someone join him. Without looking over his shoulder, he knew it was Kai. Kai was the only one of the Bladebreakers who would put themselves through even more than Kai already had.

"Hey, I thought I was the obsessive one." Kai said as he caught up a bit.

"I didn't feel like meditating, but I wanted to think. Kind of." Rei said, not looking over.

"Do you want me to go?" Honest, calm.

"No. It's fine. I already sorted out what I wanted to."

Rei came to a complete halt and looked at Kai for a long moment. "You know the far end of the beach, where we train sometimes?"

"Yeah."

"Race you there!"

Laughing, the Nekojin took off, with Kai less than a half step behind him. It wasn't until about three quarters of the way through that Kai managed to get ahead of him, and that wasn't by very much. Still, it was clear who had one the race.

"Alright, you won. What do you want?"

Kai's eyes sparked with amusement as he studied Rei. "I want you to take me out to dinner."

Rei was surprised at the simplicity of the request. "I think I can manage that. Where?"

"Surprise me."

Rei just smiled at Kai when he said that. "Come on, lets go back to the house then. I want to set the boys up so that they won't destroy my kitchen while we're gone."

Kai nodded and followed Rei back up to Tyson's.

_**[Scene Break]**_

Isawari was amazed at how quickly he had found Kai, and there was the added bonus of the half-human. He trailed carefully, waiting for his moment to strike. Assuming they took the path expected them to, he had the perfect set up already.

**[A/N It's shorter than expected, but I promise you won't have to wait long.]**


	18. Chapter 18

**[A/N: Aaaaaand Hopefully a quick update for you all. On an excited note, I finally finished watching season two of Beyblade, and am starting on Season Three.]**

They were driving. A few moments earlier, they'd been joking and laughing. But then, Kai had gone very tense. It had quickly become clear that Kai was no longer enjoying himself. Rei kept his eyes fixed on the road, but his mind drifted. He knew that he shouldn't allow it, but he couldn't help it. He was biting at his lip.

"REI!" Even as Kai hissed it, Rei saw the on coming car, but they both knew it was too late. The black car nailed the passenger's side, crunching the car inward. All at once, Rei heard the screeching metal and squealing tires. He also heard Kai hiss in pain, and sickening cracking noises that he imagined – no was sure – were bones breaking. He smelled blood. The force of the sideways impact threw Rei into his door, and he cracked his head on the window. Rei managed to dial 911* on his cell phone.

"There's been an accident."

"I..we're on Gion* avenue near the old Beystadium."

"I don't know about the other driver – I can't see him very well."

"My boyfriend and I."

Rei reached out and shook Kai very slightly – not enough to do more damage, but enough to decide whether he was conscious or not.

"Kai." He said aloud. Rei bit down on his lip – tasting blood – he forced himself to concentrate. "He's not responding at all. I don't think he's conscious." For the first time, Rei was beginning to register just how scared he was.

Still holding the phone, Rei rested his head back on his window, tearing slipping down his cheeks. He could hear Kai breathing, but it was sluggish and there was a strange tone to it. He forced himself to sit up. "Should I check on the other driver?"

"I'm not hurt that badly."

"Well I did hit my head- Alright. I'll just wait."

Admitting that he'd hit his head reminded his body that it was supposed to be in pain, something it had forgotten as he'd discovered Kai. Within a few moments, Rei could hear the sirens that indicated emergency vehicles responding to the car accident.

_If I hadn't been distracted, I might have seen the other car soon enough to get out of the way. I was so distracted wondering what I'd done to upset Kai I might have killed him in the accident. _Rei's grip on the world was slipping a little. Pain was half blinding him, and the smell of blood was making him dizzy. He couldn't tell if the vague nausea was from the scent of blood, which he hated, or from hitting his head. And the neko wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

Just then the sirens came to a halt around them. Rei made an effort to sit up before the response team opened the door to the car. And he undid his own seat belt. However, when the Nekojin rose he was overwhelmed by his dizziness, and all but clung to the door of the car. He moved a little way down, still leaning against the vehicle, making sure they had enough room to get Kai out.

"He's dead." The words roared through Rei for a moment. His grip of reality slipped further and nausea surged through him. His stomach twisted and lurched, and Rei lost the battle. It was several moments before he regained control him himself. All the while, tears were falling.

"Hey, Kid." It was one of the Responders. Rei's eyes flicked upward at her. "We've alerted the BBA that there was an accident. Mr. Dickinson intends to meet you and Kai at the hospital."

"Kai..." The word was rough, as if Rei could hardly speak.

"He'll be okay, kid. He's unconscious just now, but that's probably best. Come on, you need to get checked out."

The woman took Rei by the hand, guiding her towards one of the ambulances. The Neko hated the light that they shined into his eyes. It hurt so much. It was declared that he had a minor concussion.

"Kai. How is he?"

"We don't know the extent of his injuries yet. I promise we'll have someone let you know what's going on as soon as we know."

Rei just nodded, which hurt his head further. He closed his eyes trying to ease off the headache a little.

Sometime later Rei became aware of the fact that he was laying in a hospital bed with an IV in his arm. The incandescent lights were off, mercifully. Instead, the room was illuminated by a small lamp near the bed. He wasn't alone. On the far side, he could see Kai in a separate bed, still totally unconscious. More than that, he could hear a murmur of voices just outside the door.

A moment later Sara and Mr. Dickinson entered the room. The pair split, Sara went to go sit beside Kai's bed. Mr. Dickinson came over to Rei.

"How is he?"

_**[Scene break]**_

Bryan and Tala sat quietly in one of the rooms of the house, chatting. Whatever had passed between them over the last day or two had clearly settled things. The chat was friendly, playful. Sara had gone out earlier that evening with something in mind, apparently.

There was a pause in the conversation, they could hear the news broadcast that was playing in the room over.

"Championship bladers Rei Kon and Kai Hiwatari were caught in a horrific car accident earlier this evening. The details are sketchy, though authorities say accident "could have been much worse". Still, no word on the blader's condition, nor of the condition of the driver of the second vehicle."

Bryan and Tala exchanged a glance. "Well damn." Bryan said mildly. "They go out and do something together, and all hell breaks loose." The casual observer would assume that such a tone meant he didn't care. In reality, Bryan cared very much, one of his brothers was in that accident.

"No kidding." A hair on the breathless side, as if the red head couldn't quite believe it.

_**[Scene Break]**_

"Kai sustained fairly serious damage in the crash. Four ribs were fractured, and at least one of them may have punctured his lung. The crest of his pelvis was also crushed inward, and may have unforeseen effects even after the bones are reconstructed. He will have to undergo at least two separate surgeries in order to repair the damage." Mr. Dickinson's voice was gentle – clearly an attempt at soothing Rei.

Rei just closed his eyes, feeling tears begin to slip down his cheeks.

"He'll get better, everything will be fine."

Rei shook his head. "It's my fault. If I'd been paying more attention...it should have been me like that. Not him." He motioned sharply towards the unconscious teen.

A few moment's later, the doctors came to take Kai to the first of the surgeries. The sooner they repaired the damage to his lungs, the more likely he was to recover properly.

Mr. Dickinson had to go back to the BBA and handle some things. Sara stayed for a little while, but the nurses chased her off and sent her home. Rei was left alone in the room, he dozed a little. However, it seemed every time he started to get good and asleep, a nurse would come by and shake him. Then, she'd let him relax again. This was a frustrating, if necessary, ordeal.

During one of these cat naps, Kai was apparently brought back in. Rei could immediately hear the change in his breathing. He let out a quiet sigh of relief when he heard it. _He'll be okay. Everything will get better._

**[AN: *No. I don't know if they have a 911 or something similar in Japan. Please bear with me ^^. I also doubt Gion avenue exists anywhere. I kinda stole it from Memoirs of a Geisha for a word. It was the Geisha district in the city they were in. **

**I wear I don't intend to stay at the hospital very long in this story.]**


End file.
